


Invisible

by kimmy_writes (WickedlyAwesomeMe)



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Canon Compliant, Cussing, F/M, HEA What HEA?, Innuendo, James Is Kinda Perceptive, Marauder's Era, Not A Happy Ending, POV James Potter, POV Third Person Limited, Slightly ooc hermione, Unexplained Time Travel, implied canonical character death, not a fix-it fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-28
Updated: 2021-02-16
Packaged: 2021-03-09 00:55:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 24,418
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27246109
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WickedlyAwesomeMe/pseuds/kimmy_writes
Summary: "I don't know why you're trying your hardest to become invisible when you are all I see." James x Hermione | Marauder's Era | Three-Shot
Relationships: Hermione Granger/James Potter, James Potter/Lily Evans Potter
Comments: 71
Kudos: 420





	1. Part I

**Author's Note:**

> Welp, here's another self-indulgent Jamione fic from yours truly. This story has been sitting on my laptop for eight months already. Yes, even before 'Hero of the Story' was born so you might find a few similarities with my other Jamione fic hahaha.
> 
> This will most likely be a two-shot, maybe even three. I'm still not sure.
> 
> This is another typical time-travel fic set in the Marauder's Era lol I mean can you blame me hahaha? Also, this fic will purely be in James's POV so Hermione might slightly be OOC. This fic won't be plot-driven too. I initially intended to write this fic to test myself if I can write a decent Jamione fic, so I focused more on the characters. This is the Marauder's 7th year and for Hermione, around the horcrux hunt after her torture at Malfoy Manor.
> 
> Thank you so much to my lovely Beta, lozipozivanillabean. Enjoy!

* * *

* * *

" _Mysterious thing, Time. Powerful, and when meddled with, dangerous."_ – Albus Dumbledore, Prisoner of Azkaban

* * *

James blearily blinked his eyes and unabashedly yawned as Professor Slughorn yammered on and on about a potion they would be brewing today.

He threw a glance at the table where his friends were sitting and lightly glared. The wankers were supposed to wake him up; he knew it would be a feat to wake up on his own after that tiring Quidditch practise last night. _But_ , said wankers conveniently forgot about him, and James had had no choice but to throw on his school uniform and skip breakfast just to get to class on time.

He was five minutes late, and blessedly, Professor Slughorn was forgiving. Sirius had been shooting him smug smirks while Remus glanced at him apologetically, noting that the blonde beauty, Marlene occupied James's usual place beside Sirius. James, therefore, had no choice but to occupy a seat near the very back, beside a Hufflepuff whose name he didn't know.

Sighing, he let his eyes wander towards the very front desk of the classroom. Lily's fiery red hair was left hanging against her back as she dutifully wrote down notes on her parchment. Mary kept on glancing at her parchment, trying to match the redhead's note-taking pace but was obviously unable to keep up.

James smiled and placed his chin on top of his upturned palm, dreaming about the day when his Lily flower would stop being such a hard-to-get and finally agree to go out with him. His friends had been persistently telling him for years now that it was a lost cause, that Lily was too good for him, and although he firmly agreed with the latter, he still could not accept defeat.

Lily was the girl of his dreams. He'd spent every waking moment trying to make her his, and he'd be damned if, after three years of wooing the redhead, he'd finally stop.

James's shifted his eyes to look back at Slughorn. He briefly looked at the blackboard and noted they were studying love potions today.

"What is the most powerful love potion ever invented?" Slughorn asked.

The corner of James's lip tugged upwards when Lily's hand went instantly into the air.

"Amortentia."

James blinked.

That wasn't Lily's voice.

Slughorn, with an indulgent smile, called Lily's name and the redhead answered 'Amortentia', earning their house five points. She beamed and went back to note-taking. James would have smiled, fondly calling her a swot in his mind, but he was still wondering whether the voice he'd heard was a figment of his imagination.

"And how is it distinctive from other love potions?" Slughorn continued to ask.

Lily's hand, like clockwork, was instantly in the air.

"Mother-of-pearl sheen."

James jolted once more, sure that he'd heard a voice this time, and craned his neck to look behind him.

He was greeted with the most impossibly bushy, golden-brown curls he had ever seen. James knitted his eyebrows and tried to recall her name. He shot a glance at her necktie and noticed the red and gold colours of a Gryffindor.

' _Odd,'_ he had thought. He knew he wasn't good with names in the first place, especially with people who didn't matter to him, but if he'd been going to school with this Gryffindor for _seven years_ , he'd at least recognise her.

As if sensing his gaze, the girl lifted her blue eyes from her parchment and threw him a quizzical look. James, a tad embarrassed at being caught, ran a hand through his hair and gave her a sheepish, albeit charming, smile. The furrow between her brows deepened, and she went back to her notes.

"Miss Evans, do go on."

"The most distinctive feature of Amortentia among the other love potions is its shade, Professor," the love of his life primly answered. James's snapped his eyes back towards Lily's lovely hair and grinned. "That is, it would show a mother-of-pearl sheen once completed."

"Excellent, Miss Evans!" Slughorn boomed, placing a hand on top of his bulging stomach. "Take another five points for Gryffindor." He then glanced at the class. "Now, as what Miss Evans said, a perfect batch of Amortentia will show a mother-of-pearl sheen. Besides that, what else is its distinctive feature?"

James expectantly glanced at Lily, but the redhead pouted in deep thought, seemingly at a loss herself.

"Perhaps, Miss Evans knows the answer?" their Potions professor asked, also looking down at the silent redhead.

Her cheeks turned a brilliant shade of red. "Err… sorry professor, that's all I can remember."

"Ah, that is quite all right, Miss Evans," the older wizard claimed with a kind smile. "It's often a feature overlooked. After all, it's mother-of-pearl sheen is already telling."

"Steam in spirals."

The bushy-haired girl whispered behind him once more.

"But besides its colour, Amortentia also emits steam in spirals," Slughorn added, then proceeded to list down the other properties of Amortentia for them to take note.

James, however, swivelled around once more and stared at the witch with the impossible hair. He glanced at her desk and noted the rolls of numerous parchments with jotted notes in neat handwriting and different colours. He smiled bemusedly at the black ink blob on her chin.

 _Merlin_ , she was definitely another swot.

But then, James wondered why she was seated at the very back of the classroom, where the lights were crap and all the noisy, bored students gathered. It was an unspoken rule that the first few rows were reserved for the diligent students, the middle for those who weren't entirely interested in the subject but were studious enough, and the back row for those who'd instead do anything other than attending a stupid class. The Marauders were categorised in the middle group, but sometimes Remus sat at the very front, as a swot himself.

"You knew the answer," James bluntly pointed out with an amused smile. "Why didn't you raise your hand?"

The girl's hand stilled over her parchment.

"I don't know what you are talking about," she murmured under her breath, sparing him a glance before returning to her parchment.

The smile on his face faltered, confused by her curt dismissal. Girls usually floundered when the great, handsome Potter heir started talking to them. Except for Lily, of course, because his Lily flower was always a delightful exception.

Shrugging, he finally turned around and focused his attention on Lily once more. He contented himself in watching as she furiously took in every important detail Slughorn yammered out.

"How many drops are needed for the potion to take effect?"

Lily's hand was in the air again, and before Slughorn acknowledged her, the brunette behind James whispered a soft, "One drop."

It didn't surprise him when she was correct.

* * *

"So, I have a plan," Sirius declared as soon as he plopped down on the bench beside Remus.

"Uh-oh," James claimed with a grin. "But do go on, Pads. What's this brilliant plan of yours?"

Remus rolled his eyes and hid his face behind his Transfiguration textbook. "Honestly," he muttered, "we have other important things to do, you know. Like study for our _NEWTs_."

Sirius waved his hand dismissively. "I have no use for that shite once we graduate anyway," he said. "My Gringotts vault can sustain the grandchildren of my grandchildren. Working won't be a problem."

"Purebloods," Remus tsked under his breath while Peter asked at the same time, "What is your plan?"

James snorted when Sirius started to elaborately recount all the wicked shenanigans he had come up with during the day to torment the annoying caretaker. James's smile had steadily grown wider at Sirius's over-the-top suggestions, even indulging the enthusiastic shaggy-haired teen by interjecting ridiculous ideas of his own. Remus looked exasperated, but the way the corners of his lips twitched meant that only a bit of prodding was all that was needed for him to agree in the end. Peter kept on quipping questions, insisting for Sirius to repeat and elaborate more, and Sirius would then repeat his plan all over again, this time adding more insane embellishments.

Sirius's eyes kept on darting to the pretty blonde a few seats away from him, though, and he'd puff out his chest and loudly proclaim all of his brilliant ideas. Unable to help it, James snorted and rolled his eyes. Somehow, he had an inkling Sirius was now spouting ridiculous things just to drag a laugh from Marlene's lips. So far, he'd been doing marvellously well, which didn't help his best friend's annoying ego at all.

"You know," Lily then yelled from across Marlene, "you really shouldn't announce to the whole bloody school what you plan to do, Black. I can give you detention – and your friends, Merlin – just so to prevent you from tormenting Filch."

Sirius's ridiculous tirade drew to a halt as he gazed at James. "You can override that, right?" he cheekily asked, tilting his chin at the shiny badge pinned on James's robes. "As the Head Boy and all."

"Oh, I certainly can," he said, now throwing a handsome wink at where Lily sat. The redhead rolled her eyes in exasperation. "Say, Evans, perhaps if you agreed to go to Hogsmeade with me, I'd personally give detention to these dolts just to protect our dear, _dear_ Filch."

"Traitor," Sirius cried, bending down to smack the underside of James's head. The bespectacled wizard scowled and lightly glared at Sirius.

"Piss off, Potter," Lily then snarled. His hazel eyes snapped back towards the irate witch, prompting him to sigh and to shake his head. He paused, however, as Lily's lips twitched and he wondered if Lily was finally cracking.

From beside him, Sirius sighed. "Mate, really, the googly eyes must stop," he cried out in exasperation.

"What googly eyes?" James spat, cheeks blooming red in indignation. He surreptitiously threw another glance at Lily.

"Yep, there it is," Remus snorted.

"James's googly eyes," Peter said with a reverent nod.

"Shut up," James hissed, shoving Sirius away just to silence his stupid laughing.

He threw another glance at Lily to see if she was glancing their way again, but the redhead was already halfway off the bench and out of the hall, Marlene and Mary not too far behind. James was about to yell his usual spiel – "Goodbye, Evans. Have a lovely day. Go out with me soon? No? Yes, okay, better luck next time." – but his gaze landed on a person tucked at the farthest corner of the Gryffindor table.

The bushy-haired girl he'd interacted with during Potions looked isolated amongst her peers, her body almost dangling off the bench with how far she'd pushed herself away from the other students. Her head was buried behind a thick tome – one he couldn't recognise as a standard seventh year book. She looked deeply entranced with whatever book she was reading, her right hand blindly grasping onto her goblet of pumpkin juice, unwilling to gaze away.

"Hey," James said, slowly tearing his eyes away from the mysterious brunette to look at Sirius. "Who's that?"

"Who?" Sirius quipped. James jutted his chin at the girl sitting at the end of the table. "Oh… hmm. _Interesting_. I don't remember seeing her before."

James shifted his eyes towards Peter, who shrugged his shoulders. "She helped me once with my homework before but, _err_ , I wasn't able to catch her name," he sheepishly replied.

"Honestly, have you all been living under a rock or something for the past few months?" Remus asked. When identical looks of confusion aimed at Remus, the werewolf sighed and continued, "Hermione Dagworth. She arrived in the middle of October and started her last year at Hogwarts then. Headmaster Dumbledore introduced her one time during dinner."

James blinked. "Really?" he asked. "When?"

Remus slowly frowned, before realisation dawned on his face. "Right, of course," he said, rolling his golden eyes. "You three landed yourself in detention at that time, so you weren't there to see the introduction."

"I did hear there was a new seventh year student," Sirius quipped. "But, I haven't heard from her since so I thought she left or something."

"She mostly kept to herself," Remus explained, briefly darting a glance at the brunette – Hermione Dagworth – before returning his gaze at his best friends with a grimace. "Headmaster Dumbledore asked me to accompany her for the first few days of her stay since she's relatively new, and she'd been home-schooled her whole life, but Hermione insisted she'd be better off alone."

"Okay, all right, never mind about the girl with the monstrous hair," Sirius impatiently sniped. "We have a prank to plan, Messrs. Get your heads in the bloody game."

James snorted as Sirius went on another tirade about his stupid, _stupid_ plan, but his best friends indulged him until they were due in their next class for the day.

All the while, though, James found himself glancing one too many times at the silent witch.

* * *

It was James's idea. A spur-of-the-moment kind of thing. Granted, Remus warned him they shouldn't practice the harmless spell the werewolf had invented on other people yet without creating the proper countercurse, but James… _he_ was restless. Downright intrigued. His brain itched every time his hazel eyes landed on Hermione Dagworth, and he always found himself wondering why she was stoic and quiet and so, _so_ distant. Despite their brief encounter back in Potions, he already knew she was brilliant. It just grated his nerves so much how her blue eyes stared dully at everybody around her like she was… like she wasn't exactly there at all. Like her mind was worlds away from the present.

And so, when he caught her strolling briskly out of the common room – no doubt going to hide in her precious library once more – James spurred into action and pointed his wand at her bag. Remus's spell rolled off his tongue, and the pink spell landed squarely on her bookbag.

Hermione's eyes widened when her entire bag turned into jelly and splattered messily on the carpeted floor. A soft hush followed in the common room, deafening silence blanketing inside as they waited with bated breath for the brunette's reaction.

Then, to James's left, someone started to laugh loudly.

"Oh… _oh Merlin_ , that's fucking brilliant!" Sirius gleefully pointed out. Out of the corner of his eyes, James saw how his best friend was bent over, shoulders shaking with unsuppressed mirth whilst he wiped away his tears. Peter was snorting behind his hand, blue eyes twinkling in amusement.

Hermione carefully pulled out her wand and tried to _Finite_ the mess James's spell had made, but predictably, it was futile. James's eyes widened when she threw a litany of spells just to salvage her things, but like the initial spell, none of them worked.

Remus suddenly drifted forward, golden eyes round with deep remorse. "Hermione, I—" He was unable to properly form any words as he threw a scathing glare at James. The bespectacled wizard flinched a little at Remus's expression, knowing full well he'd done something stupid.

"I'm terribly, _terribly_ sorry," was Remus's apology.

"Merlin, Moony mate, you didn't do anything wrong," James pointed out with a snort.

Anger flashed in the werewolf's eyes as he stalked towards James and gripped his arm. "You're right. It's your fault, you git," he said, forcefully pushing him forward. "Apologise to Hermione."

"Don't tell me what to do," James petulantly whined. "Merlin's saggy bum, it was just a harmless prank."

Their heads snapped simultaneously towards the brunette when she drew in a deep breath.

Typically, people they played pranks on fell into one of two categories: the ballistic or the tolerant. Lily, Snivellus, and the professors usually fell in the first category, while most others were tolerant of the Marauders' actions, even joining in the fun.

James keenly observed Hermione Dagworth, wondering which category she would fall into.

"It's… it's fine," Hermione then murmured. Her blue eyes dangerously flashed as they landed on James, but soon she was retreating behind that cool mask of hers, her gaze dull and empty once more.

A scowl slipped onto James's face as Hermione _Evanesco-ed_ her jellified things and stalked out of the common room. For a moment there, he thought she was going to blow up. He swore magic crackled up to the roots of her bushy hair and there was this glint in her eyes, but she'd turned into that icy witch she'd always projected.

"Merlin, that's new," Sirius whistled, striding closer to James to cuff him on his shoulder. "She was neither ballistic nor tolerant." He blinked his grey eyes and quirked an eyebrow. "Look at that, Hermione Dagworth was able to fall into a new category."

"Not tolerant?" Peter asked, eyebrows knitting at the middle. "I thought she was totally cool about it."

But James was shaking his head. "No. She wasn't."

"She wasn't?" The sandy-haired Gryffindor looked marvellously flummoxed.

"No," the bespectacled wizard replied. "She was… she was _indifferent_."

Later that day, as they breezed through their lessons, James couldn't help but to silently observe the brunette. With her jellified things, she was unable to turn in her homework. Hermione had incessantly apologised to their disappointed professors, cheeks blooming red when points were deducted from Gryffindor or when she landed herself in detention. Remus looked repentant and had shot a Stinging Hex towards James after their Potions lesson.

Usually, James would have retaliated, but his mind was filled with the enigmatic brunette for the rest of the day.

* * *

"I don't think she's home-schooled."

"Who?"

"Hermione Dagworth."

"Oh, Merlin, here we go again," Sirius groaned, shoving James away so that he could reach for the pitcher of pumpkin juice beside James's plateful of chicken.

James lightly glared at Sirius. "What? I don't think she's home-schooled," he insisted. His hazel eyes swept to the scarred werewolf sitting idly across from him. "Come on, Moony. Back me up here."

"Frankly, I don't really care," Remus grumbled under his breath.

The bespectacled wizard rolled his eyes; the full moon was coming up, so of course, the golden-eyed Prefect would be impossible to interact with. Thus, he swept his gaze on Peter instead, who was busy stuffing his face with the pudding prepared by the house-elves for lunch. "Back me up, Peter."

With his mouth filled with pudding, all Wormtail did was shrug his shoulders.

"Why are you so adamant about this?" Sirius suspiciously asked.

"I just… I mean, she's _brilliant_ ," James pointed out.

The shaggy-haired wizard popped an eyebrow. " _And_?"

The Head Boy floundered with words, unable to come up with a decent excuse to his baseless guess. "Just… well… I just have this inkling," he claimed. "Don't you think her arrival here at Hogwarts is mighty suspicious? She just popped out of nowhere and had the audacity to be so… so _mysterious_."

James was half-tempted to scratch his scalp raw, that uncomfortable itch he'd always felt when thinking about Hermione Dagworth making an appearance once more.

"You know, to be really, _really_ honest with you, James," the cranky werewolf pointed out, "I think the reason why she – as what you've fondly quoted – had 'the audacity to be so mysterious' is because her life isn't your fucking business."

"Holy shite, Remus, calm the fuck down," Sirius said, fishing out two chocolate frogs from his pocket and throwing it towards Moony. Their best friend deftly caught it with his werewolf-heightened senses and proceeded to tear away the packaging so that he could ram the chocolate inside his mouth.

Sirius then turned to James and continued, "And although I agree her sudden arrival here at Hogwarts is mighty suspicious, being home-schooled isn't unusual. I mean, after the conclusion of the First Wizarding War, a lot of wizarding families opted to home-school their children instead, in fear of another rising Dark Lord."

"But why come back now?" James insisted. "I don't understand. She just came out of nowhere."

Sirius shrugged. "I don't know, mate," he quipped. "I mean, she never really went out of her way to tell her tale to everybody, yeah?"

The Head Boy sighed and pulled out his glasses just so he could rub the bridge of his nose. "There's something different about her, I swear," he muttered.

"You know what? There's something different about you too," Sirius pointed out. When James quizzically looked at him, he continued, "A week has passed and you have yet to make a spectacle out of yourself by declaring your undying love for Lily Evans."

James blinked in surprise, Sirius's claim deeply bothering him. For years, his life had revolved around Lily and her alone. He fancied himself into thinking as far as growing old with her, with a brood that almost rivalled a Quidditch team, and loving her until his dying breath.

His gaze settled onto Lily and he was surprised to see that she was already looking at him, a puzzled expression on her face. James gave her a wobbly grin which she returned with her typical eye roll. Her lips were twitching, _again_ , as if she was trying to suppress a smile.

Deep inside, James's confusion grew, wondering why the usual feelings Lily evoked never rose from the pit of his stomach and engulfed him whole until all he could think about was her bright green eyes and her pretty smile.

James then found himself seeking out Hermione Dagworth, once again seated at the farthest end of the Gryffindor table. Sunlight burst through the windowpane from behind her, illuminating her riotous golden curls like a halo. She was once again busy reading a book before a small smile broke out on her freckled face. She daintily tucked an errant curl behind her ear, but her hair stayed stubborn, constantly falling over her blue eyes and obscuring her vision.

As if sensing his gaze, Hermione's eyes flickered in his direction. Almost immediately, James tore his eyes away and steadfastly stared at his half-eaten chicken. His heart had been thrown into a frenzy and he suddenly felt hot.

"What has gotten into you, Prongs?" Sirius quipped, tapping a finger against his flaming cheeks.

"Err," was all he managed to sputter out, forcing himself to breathe properly.

* * *

James mentally scolded himself as he shot a glance at his wristwatch. He still had ten minutes to spare before he arrived late for his Potions class. Once again, James cursed his bloody friends for forgetting to wake him up. Perhaps, he shouldn't schedule Quidditch practices on weekdays for the next few days. _But_ , they were fighting against the Slytherins soon, and he'd be damned if his team didn't emerge victorious. They had to be relentless if they wanted to win.

His Quidditch woes were pushed towards the very back of his mind as he burst into the dungeons. His eyes instantly caught Sirius, wildly waving his hand to call him over, flanked by a sheepish Peter and an apologetic Remus.

James breathed a soft sigh of relief, noting that Professor Slughorn still hadn't left his chambers. He was about to stroll towards his friends but then paused.

His gaze was instantly magnetised on Hermione, hidden in the farthest back corner of the room, her eyes staring unseeingly outside the filthy window of the Potions dungeon.

Before he could even ponder it properly, his feet were already dragging him towards the empty seat beside the quiet brunette. James wasn't entirely sure if this was a great idea, but it was already too late to back out when he slid down on the bench beside her. Out of the corner of his eyes, Sirius's arm-waving had grown more frantic, but James ignored him altogether.

Hermione's eyes were still firmly glued on the window, and James wondered if she was purposely ignoring him. The way her shoulders tensed when she sensed his presence meant she wasn't as indifferent as she wanted others to believe. This had made his brain itch all the more, and desperate to drag out a reaction from the brunette, James leant forward and tapped her shoulder.

"Do you have any idea what we're going to learn today?" he smoothly asked.

Her eyebrows knitted together as she drew her gaze away from the window to look at him. "Felix Felicis," she curtly replied.

"Ah, Liquid Luck," he said.

She was still looking at him strangely and deep inside, James was trying to come up with another stupid thing to say just so she would continue talking to him.

James hated this. Hated how his brain felt muddled at the thought of her deep deep _deep_ blue eyes. Hated how he felt tongue-tied or his hands started to sweat in nervousness. He was never like this with Lily. Sure, the green-eyed girl made him feel strange things, but instead of making him nervous, Lily made him _bold_. Hence, his ridiculous displays of wooing just to get her attention.

But this… with Hermione Dagworth… it was maddeningly dizzying, how she could make him feel so out-of-sorts. The way she dully stared at him, like she was lifeless and stoic, made him bristle in discomfort.

No one was supposed to look like that. Like she'd seen such great horrors a mere seventeen-year-old shouldn't have witnessed.

His attention went back to the front when Professor Slughorn announced his arrival. Like what Hermione had said, they were going to discuss Felix Felicis today.

"Now, I'll start with an easy question," the Potions Master started. "Who invited Felix Felicis?"

Besides Lily, a few had raised their hands in the air to answer his question. Predictably, Slughorn had chosen his favourite. Before Lily could reply, from beside James, he heard Hermione murmur a name underneath her breath.

"Zygmunt Budge."

"Zygmunt Budge," Lily echoed.

"Very good. Five points to Gryffindor," the professor said. "Zygmunt Budge was infinitely proud of his invention. Felix Felicis, as you all know, is also famously known as Liquid Luck. But, like all potions, there are certain adverse effects when taken in excessive amounts. Overdosing with Felix Felicis is highly toxic and may produce extreme recklessness."

Slughorn paused, eyes gleaming at the interest in his students' eyes. "Be warned, however, Felix Felicis is banned in all competitive events. _Except_ for one. Does someone know which event that is?"

This time, only a few had raised their hands. Slughorn chose a random student and, _again_ , before he could answer, Hermione was already whispering the words under her breath. "Potion-making tournaments."

"You know the answer," James lowly blurted out, frowning deeply at Hermione. "Why don't you raise your hand?"

Hermione paused in her furious scribbling just to quickly look at him. "Just because," she clipped.

James sighed. "You really aren't in a chatty mood, are you?"

"What made you think so?"

He blinked, eyes widening a bit at the brief amused smile that flitted on her face. She went back to her note-taking, neatly jotting down important information with multi-coloured ink just to highlight the essential details in today's lesson.

"Who can tell me what incantation you say to finish brewing this potion?"

James didn't think. His wand was instantly in his hand. With a deft wave underneath his table, a whispered spell escaping his lips, Hermione's right arm suddenly shot upward.

Horrified, Hermione's eyes widened and she tried to pull her hand back down. She desperately clutched onto her wand to end James's spell, but James spoke another spell which prompted Hermione to vigorously wave her hand in the air, just like how Sirius had done a while ago.

"Ah, Miss…?"

All the colour from her face drained when she realised Slughorn's eyes were trained intently on her. James undid the spell and her hand flopped back onto her lap.

"Dagworth, sir," she softly replied.

"Ah, yes, the new student," Professor Slughorn said, jovially resting his hands on top of his protruding belly. "And the answer to my question?"

Hermione gave a tiny, resigned sigh and said, " _Felixtempra_ , sir."

"Very good, Miss Dagworth. Five points to Gryffindor."

Slughorn then went on to enumerate other important details about the potion. Hermione had gone very still, unable to turn back to her notes to continue her furious scribbling.

James by then had brightly grinned. Placing his chin on top of his upturned palm, he ducked his head closer to Hermione. "Well, that wasn't so hard now, was it?" he cheekily asked.

Her reaction was magnificent. First, a raging fire flared in her clear, blue eyes. Then, her hair grew voluminous with sheer magic and anger combined. Her cheeks were flushed ruddy, and she started breathing through her nose as if trying to calm herself down.

Despite how marvellously dangerous she looked, James couldn't stop himself from grinning wide.

 _So_ , the stoic, icy witch's feathers could actually be ruffled, huh?

She noticed the stupid smile on his face, which only made her angrier. Distractedly, he heard Slughorn dismissing the class, but James knew Hermione hadn't heard him at all.

Before he could even blink, her wand was already in her hand. " _Locomotor Wibbly_ ," she harshly spat. The yellow spell shot out from her wand tip and hit him squarely on his legs. Instantly, James's legs felt wobbly like jelly, and he was unable to stand and follow Hermione when she shot out from her chair and stomped away.

"Prongs," Sirius whined, "we saved you a bloody seat. Why didn't you come over?"

"What's wrong with you?" Peter asked instead, eyeing his oddly angled legs underneath the table.

"I was hit by the Jelly Jinx Curse," he simply said.

Remus slowly knitted his eyebrows? "Lily?"

A snort flew out from James's mouth until he was a laughing mess. " _No_ , Hermione," he corrected with a wide grin.

"Dagworth? The quiet, bookish, 'I-want-to-be-alone-so-fuck-off' witch?" the shaggy-haired teen asked.

This prompted James's lips to stretch broader. "The one and the same."

"What did you do this time?" Remus asked with a deep frown on his face.

"I made her _angry_ ," he gleefully claimed. His friends looked at him like he was barmy, but James was too happy with his simple accomplishment of drawing out an expression from the mysterious brunette. Granted, he managed to make her mad but _still_ , this was progress.

* * *

"Fuck the NEWTs," Sirius bemoaned. "I say we prank somebody tonight or I'm going to bloody lose my mind."

"Funny," James murmured, eyes still trained on his parchment, intent on finishing his Transfiguration essay. "I thought you'd lost that ages ago."

A snort flew from his mouth when Sirius rolled his parchment and smacked him on the underside of his head. "Wanker," he hissed. Then, to Remus, he said, "Come on, Moony. What say you? I think the Marauders have been taking a break from wreaking havoc for the past few months."

The werewolf, marginally better since the full moon was still weeks from now, scratched his scruffy chin and said, "Well, we still have some studying to do, you know."

"My head's going to burst soon," Peter whined, his forehead connecting with the wooden tabletop. "Let's take a break. Please, please, _please_."

"Fine," Remus sighed as he leaned against his chair and massaged his smarting temples. "What do you have in mind?"

Sirius broke into the broadest, most mischievous grin, he could muster. "Now, we're talking."

**-ooo-**

The prank was truly simple; the boys would lurk in the Hogwarts library after curfew and bewitch as many books as possible. Said bewitched books, once opened, would break into the shrillest of screams and disturb the quiet in the library. Mostly, it was a prank aimed towards Madame Pince, who was the second-most person who hated the Marauders and their stupid shenanigans—Filch easily claimed the top spot, no doubt.

After making sure that everybody was asleep, the boys crept in the dead of night. James, Sirius, and Remus huddled under the Invisibility Cloak while Peter changed into his Animagus form and scuttled in front of his other best friends. Usually, the four would have crammed underneath James's beloved cloak, but they'd grown taller like bamboo over the years. The Cloak couldn't hide them all anymore.

James was clutching the Marauder's Map in his hands, alerting his friends if someone was near until they finally reached the library without any hitch.

"Let's meet back here before midnight," James murmured to his friends. They gave him a firm nod and slipped out from under the cloak.

The bespectacled wizard was assigned to the farthest corner of the library, near the Restricted Section, since he had the least chance of getting caught. He was tasked to hold onto the Marauder's Map, and armed with his trusted cloak, he could quickly get away if things blew out of proportion.

Still underneath his Invisibility Cloak, James pulled out his wand and murmured a soft _'Lumos'_. He directed his illuminated wand tip towards the map and was relieved that neither Madame Pince nor Filch was nowhere to be seen.

He started bewitching the books near the Herbology aisle. It took him almost half an hour before he moved towards the Restricted Section. The spell required to enchant the books was mighty exhausting, but adrenaline had propelled him to finish the prank. Although he suspected the Marauders would be bloody tired the following morning, he could already imagine the satisfaction they'd get once the students simultaneously opened their books.

Before he could reach the shelves in the Restricted Section, he heard a noise. James paused in his stroll and strained his ears.

' _Someone's crying?'_ he mentally thought, eyebrows knitting together in confusion. _'Perhaps, a ghost?'_ But the only ghost he knew who always cried was Moaning Myrtle, and said ghost never left the loo even when Peeves tried to drive her away.

James quickly glanced at the Marauder's Map once more and neared the wand tip. For a moment, he saw no one – not even a ghost – but then, he caught sight of a still dot, just near one of the vast windows in the Restricted Section.

_Hermione Granger_

"Hermione Granger?" he murmured with a frown. He didn't know anyone who came by that name. There was a Hermione _Dagworth_ , of course, but he'd never heard anyone with that last name. Hermione was a pretty unique name too.

Curiosity got the better of him, and James found himself quickly walking through the Restricted Section. He was able to confirm that someone was crying – perhaps this Hermione Granger – as he neared the location of the hovering dot.

He was drawn to a halt, mouth hanging wide open when he saw _Hermione Dagworth_ sitting on the cold, stone floor instead. She was pressed against the wall with tears steadily pouring down from her blue eyes. She was clutching a worn, knitted jumper which she hugged tightly against her chest. A name was scrawled on the back of it, but he couldn't make out the letters. Beside her were an upturned book and an atrocious beaded bag.

His eyes instantly snapped back to her face, noting the deep distraught colouring her pale cheeks. James felt marvellously flabbergasted and disoriented. The usual stoic witch was sobbing her heart out, utter devastation on her face that should never be worn by a seventeen-year-old. This was the most expressive he'd ever seen Hermione, and as much as he wanted her not to look so indifferent all the time, James realised seeing her crying like this was even worse.

"Dagworth," he rasped out.

Hermione gasped and shot up from the floor, her wand instantly clutched in her hand. "W-who's there?" she stuttered, a dangerous glint in her watery eyes.

James pulled off his Invisibility Cloak to reveal himself. Hermione gasped for the second time, but her wand hand faltered in surprise. "James?" she croaked.

He was about to approach her, but Sirius's voice tore through the quiet night. "Prongs!" he harshly cried.

Hermione's eyes widened in panic, knowing she had nowhere else to go. Without thinking, James threw the Invisibility Cloak over her form, effectively hiding her in plain sight. James quickly pushed the beaded bag underneath the cloak and grabbed onto the book.

"Prongs!" Sirius called once more, this time finally spotting James. " _Fucking hell_ , we're busted. Peter was already dragged out by Madame Pince and has been passed onto Filch. Remus was able to bound away, unscathed. So yes, we should leave. _Now_."

They simultaneously cringed when they heard Madame Pince's angry shout.

"Umm… I still have—"

"There's no more time," Sirius wildly cried, latching onto James's arm to drag him away. He tore the book away from James's hand and glanced at the title. "What the hell are you doing, reading about bloody time travelling? _Really_? Let's go!"

James dumbly glanced at the book in his hand before digging his heels. "Go," he whispered, giving Sirius a mighty push, prompting him to tumble out of the bookshelf.

Sirius's grey eyes widened in panic. "Holy shite," he groaned, then turning into his Animagus form and bounding away from Madame Pince who'd caught sight of his human form a while ago.

The bespectacled Gryffindor could hear Madame Pince's nearing footsteps and started to panic. He'd be _damned_ if he landed himself in another detention weeks away from the anticipated match between the Gryffindor and Slytherin teams. He pulled out his wand and was about to cast a Disillusionment Charm on himself, but Hermione was suddenly tugging him underneath the Invisibility Cloak.

James found himself face-to-face with Hermione, his lips just a hairsbreadth away from her forehead. He was a good head taller than the girl, but she was tilting her head to look at him.

It was dim, but the moonlight from outside completely illuminated her tearstained face. Her blue eyes held that devastation once more as she stared intently at him. She was close, _so utterly close_ , and James couldn't help but look at her pink, parted lips. If only he could dip his head a tad bit, then he could satisfy one of the many curious things he'd daydreamed about Hermione Dagworth for the past few days.

Then, as if in a trance, Hermione lifted a hand and placed it against his cheek. "Harry," she whispered, tenderly brushing his cheekbone with her thumb.

James thickly swallowed. "Who?" he rasped out as a slow frown formed on his face, his heart still wildly beating inside his ribcage.

His voice broke through her momentary stupor, prompting Hermione to tumble out of the Invisibility Cloak. James gasped in protest, but Hermione was already twirling her wand on top of her head, casting the Disillusionment Charm on herself before running away.

* * *

It had been three days since that disastrous library prank. Peter, that _rat_ , confessed that it was him and the Marauders who'd planned for it all. James was still annoyed he had to sacrifice a whole week just to attend detention with Filch. Though, it was utterly hilarious to witness how everybody had gone berserk in the library when the students started opening the bewitched books.

It had been three days, too, since that weird encounter with Hermione Dagworth in the library and James, to his dismay, couldn't seem to get her out of his mind. The girl he saw in the library was a far cry from the usual brunette who quietly hid in the dark, seemingly keen in blending in with the shadows. Added to that was this mysterious 'Harry' and why in Merlin's rotting teeth did she call him as such?

Suffice to say, James's head was going to burst soon if he didn't get the answers to all of his questions. He spent the days mechanically doing his usual tasks as a seventh year student, but frequently, he found himself staring thoughtfully at Hermione's bushy hair. No matter how long he stared, the questions seemed to just grow in number. Sometimes, he wondered if he caught her looking at him too, but as James looked at the witch, Hermione was once again hidden behind her massive tomes.

This went on for days, and as they settled for lunch one day, James finally decided it was time to approach the witch and get some answers. But, as his eyes strayed towards her usual seat at the far end of the Gryffindor table, Hermione was nowhere to be found.

James grew confused and wildly searched around the table, but still, he couldn't find Hermione. He was even halfway off the bench when he heard her voice.

"Hey."

He swivelled around, his jaw dropping in surprise to see that Hermione Dagworth was standing a few paces away from Remus. She looked mighty uncomfortable, but there was a hard, determined glint in her blue eyes.

James felt his heart leaping to his throat, his mind already a jumbled mess with the myriad of questions he wanted to ask her. Try as he might, however, no words slipped out from his lips.

Her eyes briefly strayed to him, her cheeks flushing red before she looked at the werewolf sitting beside him. "Thanks for lending me this Potions book, Remus," she politely said, a small smile slipping onto her freckled face. "It helped me finish my essay."

Remus threw her an easy grin. "Of course, Hermione," he amiably replied.

James opened and closed his mouth, his hazel eyes darting furiously between Hermione and Remus. An ugly emotion bloomed inside his chest at realising that Hermione was _smiling_.

"You all right, mate?" he heard Sirius ask, breaking through his angry haze.

James ignored Sirius and watched as Hermione returned the book to Remus and bid him goodbye. She furtively glanced at the bespectacled wizard before scurrying away and retreating to her usual seat in the Great Hall.

"Huh."

James tore his gaze away from the witch and glanced at the werewolf. Remus had opened his book and wedged between the pages was a bar of chocolate. Predictably, his best friend's eyes lit up in delight. He was hopelessly in love with chocolate since it gave him some comfort, especially on days when his inevitable transformation was nearing.

A tired smile tore onto Remus's face as his eyes sought out Hermione across the table, waving the chocolate in the air and mouthing a soft thanks.

Another ugly surge of emotion coursed through his veins when Hermione gave Remus a pretty smile with a curt nod. James tried to make sense of what he was feeling, but try as he might, he _couldn't_.

He directed his narrowed eyes at Remus, whose smile faltered upon seeing the expression on James's face. "What?" he asked, blinking in confusion.

Wordlessly, James tore the chocolate away from Remus's grasp and removed the wrapper. "Give me some," he demanded.

"That's _mine_ ," Remus cried, trying to snatch the chocolate away.

Sirius joined in the fun and tried to wrestle the chocolate away from James. "Fuck off, Pads," James grumbled. Sirius was unfazed as he took a huge bite from the chocolate bar before giving it back to Remus.

"I thought chocolate is poisonous for dogs," Remus grumbled.

"Not really a dog," Sirius cried in a singsong voice.

" _Right_ ," the werewolf deadpanned.

"What's that supposed to mean?" the shaggy-haired wizard growled as he tried to tackle Remus to the ground. Peter was loudly whooping, cheering for either of the two, while James just sighed, the corner of his mouth twitching in exasperated amusement.

Lunch was nearing to an end, and James broke away from the commotion his best friends were making. The other Gryffindor students had gotten used to their rowdiness that none of them was even taking notice of his riotous best friends.

"Hey, hey, cut it out before I'm forced to take some points off you lot," James hollered.

"You're not really going to do that, are you?" Sirius frowned.

"Try me, Pads."

Sirius snorted and pushed himself away from a scowling Remus. "You've changed since Dumbledore made you Head Boy," he complained. "I miss the old, irresponsible James."

"Come on, wankers. Get up." The others scrambled onto their feet and trailed behind James, but then, Lily suddenly stepped in.

"Potter."

Sirius lowly whistled and not-so-subtly pulled Remus and Peter away, leaving James alone with Lily.

"Err, yeah?" James asked, awkwardly ruffling his hair to keep his nerves at bay. Lily rolled her eyes at his ridiculous habit, and James was briefly reminded once more of the time in their fifth year when Lily mocked him for thinking that messing up his hair made him look cool.

"I hope you haven't forgotten about our monthly Heads report for Dumbledore, Potter," she sharply said. "You know the deadline is today, right?"

"Right," James echoed, uneasily scratching his chin. "I finished it last night so I'll give it to you at dinner tonight."

"Right," Lily repeated, her emerald eyes now narrowing in suspicion. "Is everything all right, Potter?"

He blinked his eyes in confusion. "I'm sorry?"

"You're not… _you_." Her cheeks flushed red, and she took a deep breath, before pinning him with a suspicious glare. "You're not acting like a toerag."

A laugh slipped out his lips. "And that's a good thing, isn't it?" he asked with a cheeky smile.

Lily expelled another huge sigh and rolled her eyes, but he swore the corner of her lips was twitching with amusement. "The report, Potter," she reminded for the last time as she turned on her heel and stalked out of the Great Hall.

James watched her retreating in amusement, surprised that he was able to have a decent conversation with Lily Evans without making a fool out of himself. "Huh," he murmured, and James was about to leave the Great Hall when riotous curls caught his attention.

Hermione Dagworth was still seated on the bench, hastily cramming her things inside her bag. As if having a mind of their own, James's feet directed him towards the brunette. James slid down on the bench opposite Hermione, which prompted her to pause in her packing.

"Yes?" she softly asked.

He wasn't sure why it was the first thing that came out of his mouth. James didn't even have the time to think! But when the words tumbled out from his mouth, and Hermione's eyes widened in astonishment, it was already too late.

"What?" she repeated, her eyebrows now meeting in the middle.

"I said," James repeated, a corner of his mouth lifting in amusement at how flabbergasted she looked, "Maybe you'd like to accompany me to Hogsmeade this weekend."

" _What_?"

"Maybe you'd like to—"

His words died down when Hermione quickly lifted a hand to stop him. James's smile had stretched far and wide, feeling utterly giddy all of a sudden. His heartbeat was quick inside his chest, and blood was already rushing to his ears. He usually felt like this when he was on his broom and taking off, the exhilaration of slowly ascending into the clear, blue sky awakening all of his nerves.

Hermione slowly frowned and went back to packing her things. She didn't say anything for a while, and James patiently waited for her reply. A part of him honestly expected she'd ignore him and walk away, and James was already coming up with back-up plans to ask her again. To his surprise, however, Hermione sharply looked back at him, an indecipherable emotion in her blue eyes.

"Shouldn't you ask Lily instead?"

James stared at her for a few moments before bursting into boisterous laughter. Hermione looked slightly indignant at his reaction. "I already know what Evans will tell me, so why the hell bother," he flippantly said, wildly waving his hand in dismissal.

Hermione dubiously stared at him, prompting him to shrug his shoulders and add, "I've been trying—and failing—to ask Evans out for _years_ , Dagworth. Maybe it's time to ask out other, pretty witches, eh?" He waggled his eyebrows, his smile growing wider.

Brief panic flitted in her blue eyes, which James didn't understand, but before he could properly dwell on her weird expression, Hermione was coolly staring at him once more.

"What made you so sure that I'd agree?"

James rolled his eyes. "Any girl would like to accompany James Potter to Hogsmeade, you know," he cheekily pointed out, echoing what a tired Sirius had repeatedly drilled into his mind every time James had tried—and failed—to ask Lily out.

Hermione quirked an eyebrow. James sheepishly laughed and hastily added, "Except Lily, of course."

"And _Hermione_ ," the brunette added with a small, bemused smile. She then stood up from the bench and swung the strap over her shoulder. "Goodbye, Potter."

Undeterred, James leapt off the bench and trailed behind Hermione. He even tugged her bag away from her grasp and slung it over his shoulders.

"Hey, that's my—"

"I was raised as a proper Pureblood, Dagworth," he explained with a handsome smile on his face. "Protocol dictates for proper Pureblood wizards to carry the belongings of a girl they are escorting."

Hermione snorted. "I don't need a bloody escort," she murmured under her breath. "Give it back, Potter. I can carry it myself."

"I'm going to return it _if_ you agree to my request," he said.

Ire briefly flared in her blue eyes, and it was apparent Hermione was having a hard time reining in her emotions. _This_ was loads better than the devastated girl he'd seen in the library. James found himself thoroughly enjoying riling up Hermione Dagworth and merely grinned when she scowled and stomped inside the Transfiguration classroom.

James ignored Sirius's waving arms and trailed behind Hermione, who predictably chose a seat at the very back of the classroom. He settled on the empty desk beside her and deposited her things on the desk. Hermione's eyes glinted and she quickly dove towards her bag, but James's reflexes were quicker. He hugged her things protectively against his chest and grinned. "So, Hogsmeade?"

"This isn't funny, Potter," Hermione exasperatedly said. She balled her hands into fists and gave him the fiercest glare she could muster.

"Hogsmeade?"

" _No_."

The bespectacled wizard then released a massive sigh, an apologetic smile now on his face. "All right then," he said, extending her backpack towards her. Hermione's eyes widened in surprise, obviously prepared to put up a fight if James continued to be difficult.

She looked at him in confusion and hastily snatched her bag away from his grasp lest he changed his mind. "You know," she deliberately started, "you should try asking Lily again."

James snorted. "And get monumentally rejected again?" he asked, a corner of his mouth twitching in resigned amusement. "It's futile, Dagworth."

Hermione looked deeply troubled. "You should try harder then," she insisted. "In wooing Lily, that is."

"When a girl says no, I should back off," James said with a handsome smile on his face. "Remus kept on drilling that into my mind but I was mighty stubborn. It took me _years_ to digest that fact, Dagworth. I think I wasn't used to not getting what I want, rich Pureblood heir and shite." He grinned at Hermione's frown. "I've _tried_ multiple times. Lily always says no. I think it's time to stop."

" _No_!"

A few of the students sitting in front of them flinched at her voice, swivelling to stare curiously at the bushy-haired witch. James's jaw dropped at her sudden vehemence, prompting Hermione's cheeks to redden.

"Err… I mean, I think Lily likes you very, _very_ much and you shouldn't give up," she hastily said.

James shrugged. "Yeah, well, I'd like to take you to Hogsmeade this time anyway."

"No," she deadpanned.

The wizard grinned. "Worth a try," he sighed.

It was evident throughout the Transfiguration lesson that Hermione was distracted. She wasn't furiously taking down notes, and her blue eyes were unfocused. Hermione wasn't even murmuring the correct answers to Professor McGonagall's questions under her breath. James grew worried and wondered what had made her so thoroughly bothered.

"Dagworth—"

"Fine."

James slowly frowned. "Fine about what?" he deliberately asked.

" _Fine_ ," she repeated, a pinched expression on her face. "Fine, I'll accompany you to Hogsmeade this weekend."

He gaped at her like a fish out of water. "Yeah?" he managed to sputter out.

Her cheeks turned ruddy, but a frown was still plastered on her face. "But I have two conditions," she said. "First, I need the Cloak."

James quirked an eyebrow. " _Well_ ," he said, a corner of his mouth lifting into a small smirk, "I have an elaborate collection of rich, toasty cloaks so if you have any preference you better say it and—"

"Not _a_ cloak," she hastily corrected. " _The_ Cloak."

She pierced him with a meaningful glance, and James instantly knew she was pertaining to his beloved Invisibility Cloak. "Why?" he suspiciously asked.

"Just because."

"That's not exactly helpful, Hermione," he whispered in exasperation.

"If you don't bring the Cloak, then I don't see any point in accompanying you on Hogsmeade Day," she stated matter-of-factly.

"Merlin, fine, fine," James said as a nervous laugh escaped his lips. "I promise to bring the Cloak. Marauder's honour." He cheekily grinned when he raised his hand in promise, prompting Hermione to roll her eyes in return. "And your other condition?"

Her stare was unwavering. "No one must know."


	2. Part II

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, hello there! Terribly sorry for not updating this for months, but I've been really swamped with internship and stuff, so it took me quite a while to finish this. I have both good news and bad news at the end of this chapter, so please read them if you fancy!

* * *

" _Dark times lie ahead of us and there will be a time when we must choose between what is easy and what is right." – Albus Dumbledore, Goblet of Fire_

* * *

"I have a date."

"Right. And I'm magically cured of my lycanthropy," Remus snorted behind his book, exchanging amused glances with Sirius and Peter.

James rolled his eyes and threw a pillow in the werewolf's direction. It managed to knock the book Remus was holding, prompting him to glare in annoyance at the bespectacled wizard. "I'm not kidding," James petulantly shot back. "I really do have a date for Hogsmeade tomorrow. So, you don't have to wait up for me."

Sirius's jaw dropped in unadulterated surprise. "With _whom_?" His grey eyes had grown wider, if it were possible. "Merlin Almighty, _Evans_?"

"No, with—"

" _No one must know."_

"—with _someone_ ," James lamely continued.

Remus tossed his book aside. "It's with Dagworth, isn't it?" he flippantly asked.

The Head Boy's eyes widened. "W-what?" he sputtered. "What the hell? No. _No_."

"Wanker, look how you floundered," Sirius laughed, reaching forwards to smack him on the underside of his head. "And _Merlin_? Really? With Hermione Dagworth?"

"I thought she never went to Hogsmeade," Peter offered, glancing at Remus who nodded his head in confirmation.

James's cheeks turned red, mentally cursing himself for being too obvious. "I didn't say it was with her," he protested, intent on denying it, lest Hermione caught wind of his stupid slip and decided not to show up for their Hogsmeade date. He was too excited for tomorrow and James would be damned if it was cancelled.

"Educated guess," the werewolf shrugged. "I mean, you spend a lot of time with her anyway. Mighty suspicious, if you ask me, so the only explanation I can think of is that you've turned your attention to her instead."

"Holy shite, _really_?" Sirius asked, jaw ajar. "What about Evans? And what about Dagworth's monstrous hair!? Aren't you scared she'll suffocate you?"

James rolled his eyes at Sirius's melodrama. "It's _not_ with Dagworth," he continued. "She's just helping me with my homework."

"Remus can help you with your homework," Peter helpfully supplied. James shot a glance at the sandy-haired boy as if betrayed.

"Remus is busy being a cranky berk," the bespectacled boy snapped, already jumping off the couch. " _So_ , don't wait for me tomorrow. And _don't_ even think of sabotaging this date. I will hex all of your ball sacks off if things don't go smoothly tomorrow!"

"Well, look at that, our Prongsie has it bad." Sirius released a low whistle under his breath. "Fine, good Godric. Have fun on your date with Dagworth tomorrow."

"It's not with Dagworth, blimey!"

" _Fine_ , with the Invisible Girl then, because I still don't believe you," the shaggy-haired teen shot back with a smug smile.

"Awful nickname," Peter laughed. "I love it."

"Berks," James sighed.

* * *

James had woken up extra early that day, which was very much not like him, especially after a night of rigorous Quidditch training with his teammates the day before. The excitement for Hogsmeade today had roused him even before the usually early Remus. By the time he was ready for the day, his best mates were still half-way out of their beds.

"I'll be off already," he hollered over his shoulders.

"Already?" Sirius gasped with wide eyes.

James dismissively waved his hand in reply and bounded out of the Gryffindor Common Room before his best friends could stop him.

He was already racing through the vast Hogwarts grounds when he remembered he was supposed to bring the Invisibility Cloak. _'Bollocks,'_ he groaned, turning on his heel and running back to the Gryffindor Tower.

Thankfully, Sirius was still in the loo, Remus was half-awake, and Peter was still sleeping, so James was able to snatch his beloved cloak without any hitch.

By the time he reached Greenhouse 3, he was a panting mess. His hair he'd painstakingly tried to tame that morning was already in disarray. James scowled and wiped away the beads of sweat on his forehead, before taking a deep breath.

Dagworth told him to meet her at Greenhouse 3. It was a convenient place for a secret rendezvous, its path properly hidden from the walkway that led to the thestral-drawn carriages. James, however, thought it was such a pain to be so far away from the main path.

" _No one must know."_ Her words echoed in his mind once more, prompting him to release a soft, petulant sigh.

The brunette was still nowhere to be seen. A part of him felt nervous that Hermione would ditch him in the end; it still baffled him greatly that she'd agreed in the end, if he were being honest with himself. He had been so used to Lily's rejection in the past that he'd anticipated the same with Dagworth too.

Only a few minutes had passed, but it already felt like ages for James. He distracted himself from the slight panic by perusing around the greenhouse, observing the twisting, carnivorous magical plants whose names he couldn't recall.

"Hey."

He turned around as fast as lighting, eyes growing wide in disbelief. Hermione Dagworth was standing outside the greenhouse, her blue eyes unable to meet his bewildered gaze.

"You came!" he sputtered out before he could stop himself. James's cheeks bloomed red, his right hand itching to smack himself across his forehead for being an idiot.

"Of course I did," she murmured, shyly tucking a curl behind her ear. "I said I'd accompany you today."

"Of course," he echoed. He thickly swallowed, his eyes surreptitiously scanning her from head to toe. She was wearing a white, woolly turtleneck jumper with an above the knee burgundy skirt and thigh-high boots. "You look… umm…"

James's eyes had steadily grown wider, disbelieving that he was _floundering_. Complimenting someone came naturally to him. He made it a point every day to tell Lily how pretty her eyes were and he'd occasionally appreciate Sirius's clothes that were starting to lean towards the Muggle kind his mother would never have approved of. But here, in front of Dagworth, his tongue turned thick and he was unable to form any proper words.

Hermione gave him a small smile, her freckled cheeks already dusted with pink. She then extended her right hand and wriggled her fingers. "The Cloak, Potter," she said.

"Um, r-right," he stuttered, almost stumbling forward as he jogged quickly towards the brunette. "What do you need it for again?"

Instead of answering him, Hermione grasped the Invisibility Cloak from his hand and donned it over herself.

James slowly knitted his eyebrow. "What are you doing?" he asked in confusion.

"It'll be best for all generations—past, present, and future—if I'm not seen," she simply said. "With _you_ , of all people."

"I'm sorry?"

He heard her little sigh and there was a shimmery distortion in the place where Hermione was hiding under the Invisibility Cloak. "It's _very_ complicated, but this is for the best, Potter," she vaguely replied. "Trust me. You'll thank me in the future. Now, come on."

James dumbly followed behind Hermione, still marvellously confused with the turn of events. He'd admittedly imagined this day differently, with more hand-holding and maybe a little kiss if he was lucky, but walking with a girl hidden underneath his Invisibility Cloak was not part of this daydream.

Neither of them had spoken when Hermione clambered inside one of the empty carriages. Although she was effectively hidden, James had felt her stiffen when they neared the carriages. He had this inkling she could already see the thestrals which were still invisible for him. This only gave rise to a few more questions in James's mind, which he knew would never be answered.

They travelled in silence towards Hogsmeade, crammed with another fourth year student who was eyeing James and the empty seat beside him strangely. James didn't bother making any excuse, still a little thrown off with Hermione's decision to roam around with him in Hogsmeade - hidden in plain sight.

Once they reached Hogsmeade, James jumped off the carriage and instinctively offered his hand. It was meant for Hermione, but the fourth year Hufflepuff mistook his gesture for herself, and awkwardly grasped his proffered hand and scuttled away after an embarrassed 'thank you'.

James heard a snort, prompting his cheek to redden in indignation. Before he could retort something, he felt her warm hand grasping his extended hand, as she descended the steps of the carriage. His cheeks reddened in intensity; this time for an entirely different reason.

"Where do you want to go?" he asked, his eyes trained intently on the shimmery distortion his Invisibility Cloak was making.

"Anywhere you want," was her reply.

With the streets now packed with overzealous Hogwarts students, their conversation was kept to a minimum, mostly because James knew he'd look barmy if he started flirting with air. This had made him frustrated so much, especially because he'd wanted to get to know her better. But then, her invisibility had hindered him from getting the answers to his numerous questions.

He led her inside the Three Broomsticks, dead set on just buying some butterbeer and searching for a place where they could hide. It was painfully obvious that Hermione didn't want to be seen with him and James didn't know _why_. He was tempted to ask, but his temper was already getting the better of him. He had a feeling if he started asking questions, he wouldn't be able to stop. Hermione might get overwhelmed and ditch him altogether.

' _Which isn't a bad thing,'_ a niggling voice whispered inside his head, prompting the Head Boy to sourly scowl. _'Maybe it's for the best. I knew this was too good to be true._ ' He roughly pushed the door open, letting Hermione slip inside first as he closely followed behind.

As expected, the Three Broomsticks was brimming with lazing students. Boisterous laughter from a few tables up front rang throughout the pub. James pointedly ignored the cosy couples scattered around, knowing this would put him in even more of a bad mood.

He wasn't sure if Hermione noticed his grumpiness. The brunette had yet to pipe up another word, already content with closely following James so as not to get too far away from him.

"PRONGS!"

"Fuck," he grumbled, grimacing in greeting when his hazel eyes landed on the table where his best friends were seated. Sirius was wildly waving his arm, equally wildly looking around, seemingly in search of someone. When he noticed that James wasn't accompanied by his supposed date, Sirius faltered.

"I thought you had a date, mate," Peter asked, eyebrows knitting together as he also looked around for James's companion.

"I _have_ ," he insisted.

Remus quirked an eyebrow and slowly looked around. "I don't see anyone, James," he pointed out, his golden eyes already softening in worry. This only made James annoyed all the more, noticing the look of sympathy in the werewolf's eyes. "Maybe you'd like to join us instead?"

"I am on a _bloody_ date," he snapped, slamming a few galleons on the counter and snatching the two butterbeers from a surprised Madame Rosmerta.

He ignored his best friends' calls for his name and stomped out of the pub. With his long legs, he could hear Hermione's shuffling footsteps trying to match his stride.

"Wait," Hermione whispered. "Aren't we going to stay inside?"

James skidded to a halt and rounded towards the place where her voice had come from. "It was cramped," he grumbled. "We didn't have any place to sit."

"I saw at least three empty tables back there," she said. "Why don't we—"

The bespectacled wizard expelled a huge sigh and narrowed his eyes. "And let everybody know James Potter is finally off his rocker?" he snapped. "I've been the laughingstock of Hogwarts for _years_ after all of my stupid and grandiose plans to woo Evans, only to get constantly rejected in the end. I don't need them to start another rumour I have a bloody imaginary friend."

"Well," she continued with a levelled, albeit soft, voice, "I think you're already doing a good job at that."

James's cheeks turned splotchy red when he saw a group of fifth years throwing quizzical looks in his direction. His lips then tugged into a frown as he crossed his arms against his chest. "Maybe asking you out was stupid after all," he crankily murmured.

Hermione didn't say anything for a while and James wondered what she was thinking. His blasted Invisibility Cloak obscured whatever emotions the brunette was having. He was tempted to yank it away just to see her face, but then, he would inevitably reveal to everybody the existence of his Invisibility Cloak.

And then, to his surprise, a hand shot out from the Cloak and grasped onto the sleeve of his robes. James wordlessly allowed Hermione to bring him somewhere only she knew. They only stopped when they reached the small hill where the Shrieking Shack sat, effectively hiding them from any passers-by.

James slightly tensed for a bit, wondering why she'd chosen this place of all places, but then he silently assured himself that they were very careful at hiding Remus's affliction.

The shimmery distortion pulled away from him and James heard a few shuffles and the crinkling of dried leaves. A hand shot out from the Cloak once more and patted the empty space beside her.

Curiosity now mingled with annoyance as James tentatively lowered himself down onto the ground.

"I'm sorry," she then whispered. "I… well… you're— You're upset. I'm sorry."

Well, he wasn't expecting that.

James frowned and stretched his legs out in front of him. He then placed the butterbeers on the side, not even bothering to pop the caps open.

"Why did you agree to come with me to Hogsmeade anyway?" he asked, his tone of voice was laced once more with his initial annoyance. "I mean, what's the point if you're going to be bloody invisible for the entire trip?"

He heard some shuffling noises and Hermione suddenly shifted the cloak to reveal her head. James was unable to stop a small smirk from growing despite his annoyance, seeing that she looked ridiculous with her floating head. Her cheeks were dusted with pink and there was genuine remorse in her blue eyes.

"Hogwarts is suffocating," she simply said.

He was surprised by her answer, eyebrows drawing at the middle in confusion. "Suffocating?" he echoed. "Why? Hogwarts is _home_."

A sad smile stretched on her face. "Oh, it is," she agreed. "But…" She buried her chin and now only half of her face was visible. "Never mind. It's too complicated."

James snorted and absentmindedly grabbed a bottle beside him. "Well, if you must know, the reason why I asked you to hang out with me today was because I genuinely want to know you, Hermione Dagworth." He slightly smiled when she glanced at him in surprise. "So, tell this complicated tale of yours. I'm all ears. And maybe a few messy hair strands. Bloody Potter genes and all that shite."

A soft laugh flew out from her lips and James stared, surprised by the sound. It was the first time he'd heard her laugh. Albeit it was soft and brief, but the corner of her eyes crinkled, blue eyes shining with mirth.

Hermione shook her head. "I can't tell you everything," she said, snatching the opened bottle from his hand and downing a few gulps. "But, well, as I said, Hogwarts is suffocating and I thought I needed a breath of fresh air. I was thinking about going to Hogsmeade without exposing myself anyway. Then, you presented the perfect opportunity, since you possess this Invisibility Cloak."

"Ah," he said with a small smirk. "What I can conclude from that annoyingly vague answer of yours is that you _used_ me, Hermione Dagworth."

She gave him a sideways glance. "Are you angry?" she coolly asked.

"Oh, very," he replied, his smirk stretching wider. "So, you have to make it up to me." Hermione merely quirked an eyebrow in question, prompting him to continue. "Let me study with you, Dagworth. Eat beside you during meals. Sit beside you during class. Escort you all over Hogwarts that suffocates you so much. Let me…" He faltered, his smirk morphing into a small, earnest smile. "Let me spend time with you."

Hermione froze at his bewildering answer, her blue eyes popping wide open. "Why?" she breathlessly asked.

James rolled his eyes, although his cheeks reddened in slight embarrassment. "You're brilliant, Dagworth," he pointed out. "You know why."

She was instantly on her feet, her face still the only part of her not hidden underneath his Invisibility Cloak. "No," she said with steely resolve. " _No_ , Potter. This is just a one-time thing. Lily likes you very, _very_ much. And you like her too. Take this opportunity to continue pursuing the Head Girl and all your efforts will be rewarded. I promise." Her blue eyes were piercing. "I promise you, James Potter."

He also clambered onto his feet and frowned when Hermione took a few steps back. "Why?" he demanded. "Is it because of Harry?"

The reaction on her face was instantaneous. The same devastated expression he'd seen when he'd caught her crying in the library coloured her pale face. "W-what?" she croaked.

"This Harry," he insisted. "That night. In the library. You called me 'Harry'. And you were crying. What happened, Dagworth? After that day, my mind has been bursting with endless questions and I thought asking you to come with me to Hogsmeade today would give me answers. But _no_. All I got was more questions and it's _frustrating_ because you're being bloody vague and mysterious about everything. _Everything_ , Dagworth. Everything."

James wasn't sure what had propelled him to lose his temper, but try as he might, he couldn't stop his running mouth.

"Potter," she softly said, her blue eyes already glistening. "For your sake and everything that you cherish in your life, stop this. Don't sit beside me during class. Don't escort me all over Hogwarts. _Please_. Just don't." She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

She briefly opened her eyes and stared at James. Then, before he could do anything, she draped the cloak over her head and left.

* * *

Words escaping from Dumbledore's mouth the next morning was garbled in James's ears. He could not believe what he was hearing… could not _accept_ what he was hearing.

His hazel eyes sharply swept all throughout the Great Hall. The students were seemingly bored out of their minds, some blatantly yawning and blearily staring at their breakfast, ignoring Dumbledore's announcement altogether. An ugly emotion climbed from James's stomach, irrationally furious at how indifferent they were at the sudden turn of events.

Blood rushed in his ears and everything turned unfocused in his eyes. James desperately threw a glance at the end of the Gryffindor table, wishing— _praying_ —that Dagworth was still seated at her usual spot, hiding her face behind another thick book. Instead, a group of first years were clustered around the area she was usually seated in, completely ignoring Dumbledore's speech whilst furiously cramming their homework in for that day.

"Potter."

His senses were brought back into focus, his eyes snapping towards the frowning redhead leaning beside him. "What?" he dully asked, eyes a little too wide.

"We're dismissed," Lily said, her frown still in place. "We'll be having Transfiguration in ten minutes."

Distractedly, he noticed that the students were already rising from their seats, rushing out of the Great Hall to get to their classes for the day.

"Right," he breathlessly said, slipping mechanically off his bench.

"Alright, Prongsie?" Sirius worriedly asked, slinging an arm over his shoulders. James refused to look at his friends' faces, knowing they were wearing identical looks of concern that was surely because of _him_.

Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw Peter scuttling closer to him, an apologetic look on his face. "It's a shame Dagworth had to go home," he quietly said. "I mean, I think it would be brilliant if we graduated together with her. I'm sorry she had to leave to go back to her family and—"

"Peter," Remus sharply said. "Shut the hell up."

Peter's cheeks reddened, his remorse increasing tenfold. "Right, so-sorry," he said.

The day flew by in a blur. James was left confused throughout the day, wondering why Dagworth suddenly had to leave. Dumbledore explained it was because of some family matters, but a huge part of James couldn't accept that. He grew slightly resentful the following days, wondering why Hermione hadn't at least said goodbye. He thought something was going on between them… _well_ , he'd hoped. He knew their Hogsmeade trip hadn't ended according to his initial plan, but he still thought she'd at least say goodbye to him before leaving.

His sour mood went on for days. His best friends were good mates, trying to lift his mood by suggesting hilarious pranks but James would always murmur an apology and retreat to his room, head and heart filled too much with Hermione Dagworth to leave space for other things. Even Evans, to his surprise, was trying her best to cheer him up, offering to shoulder some of his responsibilities as Head Boy and even cracking a joke or two.

He appreciated their efforts. Truly, he did. But he was still mightily confused with all the unanswered questions with regards to Hermione. He had this ridiculous thought that perhaps, _perhaps_ he was the reason why Hermione had suddenly left; her strange vehemence about the ridiculousness of his feelings for her still rang in his ears (and stung his bloody heart).

' _Don't be ridiculous, James Potter,'_ he thought to himself with a scowl. Maybe something terrible had really happened with her family and she needed to leave. James shouldn't be too conceited, thinking he was the reason to drive away a girl.

* * *

He wasn't quite sure what had urged him to do it one Sunday morning. He'd just finished his brief meeting with Lily about the Patrolling Schedule for that month when he'd pulled out the Marauder's Map from his pocket. His eyes roamed all over the Map in search of his best friends, silently promising to hang out with them that day.

He spied them emerging out of the Fat Lady's portrait on the seventh floor, off to somewhere he could only leave to his imagination. James quickened his pace, dead set on hanging out with them today and to forget about Hermione Dagworth. It had been a month since her departure and he'd been sulking for far too long. James had NEWTs, Head Boy responsibilities, and Quidditch to focus on. He had no time to mope around because the girl he liked left without saying goodbye.

For some strange reason, his eyes shifted towards the empty corridor where the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy was located.

James was suddenly brought to a halt, hazel eyes widening in disbelief. He blinked a few times just to see if the dot would disappear, but no matter how many times he did this, the dot bearing Hermione Granger's name did not disappear.

Heart lodging in his throat, James broke into a run. He ignored the surprised faces of the students he passed by, eyes solely latched on the singular dot that ignited the flickering embers of hope in his heart.

Upon arriving at the seventh corridor, James wildly looked around to search for Hermione. But, much to his confusion, the brunette was nowhere to be seen.

This mightily puzzled James, his eyes shifting back to his map. _Hermione Granger_ 's dot had now stopped moving, the map reporting she was a few meters away from him.

James lifted his eyes once more, his gaze this time piercing the direction where Hermione Granger stood. Again, no one was in the corridor except for him.

He felt his breath hitch, noticing a slight shimmery distortion in the air. James would have dismissed that strange occurrence normally, but then, he remembered his Invisibility Cloak hadn't been returned to him - that his Invisibility Cloak was still with _Dagworth_.

He was breathing heavily as he took painstaking steps, heartbeat quickening with each step he took. Hermione's dot hadn't moved a single inch, the little footsteps on the map still in place.

The distortion happened once again. James, having been gifted with stellar reflexes that made him a brilliant Quidditch player, suddenly ducked down when a red streak of light bolted out from where Hermione stood, sailing over his dishevelled hair.

James quickly pulled out his wand and shot a Sticking Charm towards the general direction of Hermione's feet. The space where she stood was frantically distorted, giving James an idea that she was wildly thrashing around.

Another spell, this time coloured green, was shot towards his direction but James was still quick, sidestepping the spell which instead hit one of the trolls in a tutu in the Barnabas the Barmy's tapestry.

"Memory Charm? Really?" he sputtered out, this time just a few inches away from where Hermione stood. James reached forward, grasping the soft material of his Invisibility Cloak and yanked the cloth away in one single pull. Opposite him stood a panicky Dagworth, her face very pale and horrified upon being found out.

"You — it's really you. I-I can't believe it." Overwhelming feelings welled in his chest while she grew more panicky. "Why did you—"

His words died down, this time noticing that something was _different_ about Dagworth. Was her hair really that dark? He remembered that it was almost the same shade as Peter's, but now it was almost as dark as Remus's hair. And her eyes… "They're not blue," was all he could blurt out.

Her eyebrows knitted together in confusion. Without thinking, he shot forward, his index finger resting just beside her right eye. "Your eyes," he breathlessly expounded. "They're brown, not blue."

The wrinkle between her eyebrows disappeared, her brown eyes growing wide in understanding. "Bloody fucking hell," she groaned. James was too dumbfounded to react when Hermione cancelled the Sticking Charm he'd placed on her feet. The brunette then quickly walked towards the bare wall opposite the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy.

"What are you doing?" he dumbly asked.

"Shut up, Potter," she hissed, angrily stomping in front of the wall.

James pursed his lips in surprise. He quietly watched as she continued her furious pacing, and then, to his astonishment, a wooden door materialised on the supposed bare wall. Before he could voice out a question, Hermione latched onto his wrist, opened the door, and pulled him inside.

This time, James did not bother hiding his unfiltered surprise, gaping openly at a room that somehow resembled the Gryffindor Common Room. The layout wasn't right though; the positions of the couches were all wrong and the number of study tables had increased.

"Where the hell are we?" he cried, his crazed eyes landing on Dagworth. His eyes met her brown ones again, and James felt confused all the more. Hermione was still clutching his wrist, wordlessly tugging him towards one of the couches near the fireplace and plopping him down. If it were possible, his eyes had grown wider in disbelief; even the couch felt as squashy as the ones in the Gryffindor Common Room!

"Where the _hell_ are we?" he insisted once more.

"The Room of Requirement."

"The _what_?"

"The Room of Requirement, Potter," she tiredly replied, sighing at the confusion on his face.

James dumbly glanced at the opened Marauder's Map, trying to search for this so-called Room of Requirement on the seventh floor. Barnabas the Barmy was in his usual place, but the place opposite the tapestry was just the bare wall. James felt his throat drying, finally realising that his and Hermione's dots were missing.

"You never left," he bluntly said, realisation dawning. "This whole month, you were here in Hogwarts."

Hermione quietly nodded her head in confirmation and sat on the armchair opposite, a guarded expression on her face.

"But why make up that stupid lie?" he asked, desperate for answers. "Dumbledore said that something came up with your family and I was so _bloody fucking_ worried for you, Dagworth. You left without even saying goodbye and I was left thinking why the _bloody fucking hell_ you did not even say anything to me. And… and… Hermione _Granger_! _Brown_ eyes?"

His words failed him as confusion and frustration filled his mind, trying to rack his head for a decent explanation for this sudden turn of events.

Hermione was quiet for a few minutes, furiously nibbling on her bottom lip as she unwaveringly stared at the coffee table placed in between them. He could practically see the gears turning wildly inside her mind, and with a sinking heart, James already knew she was formulating a decent lie to explain her situation.

"It wasn't a complete lie," she slowly said, her brown eyes shifting from the table to meet his gaze. " _Something_ did come up from where I came from. Both Dumbledore and I agreed it would be best if I, well, disappeared from Hogwarts."

"Why?" he demanded.

She glanced away from him. "It's complicated," was her simple answer.

James had grown furious. "Don't you think I deserve an explanation?" he cried.

An angry scowl grew on Hermione's face. " _Why_?" she echoed in return. "I don't need to tell you _everything_ about myself, Potter. I have no time to do such things!"

Admittedly, it had stung. He recoiled at her words as if she'd slapped him on his cheeks. So maybe he really was the only one who thought there was _something_ between them. Once again, her strange words during their date in Hogsmeade echoed in his ears.

"I'm sorry."

His eyes widened in surprise, not expecting her to apologise. He snapped his gaze back towards Hermione's face, noting that her brown eyes shone extra brighter, a look of utter remorse and desperation colouring her pale face.

"I really can't tell you," she whispered. "Trust me, Potter. Everything's truly _complicated_ and I can't drag you into this."

He hated the look on her face, _hated_ the feeling that the distance between them felt like it was far greater than the coffee table. "If you think I'll leave you alone, you're terribly mistaken, Dagworth," he stubbornly announced.

Hermione's face stuttered in frustration. " _Potter_ ," she grounded out.

"I don't know your reasons because you won't tell me," he started, "but I'm incorrigible at best, Dagworth." He cracked a weak grin when she frowned. "After spending those months with me, I'm sure you know I wouldn'tleave you alone until I got some answers. I'm going to pester you until you get tired of me but I'm not going anywhere."

"Why are you doing this?" she croaked.

"You know why," he insisted, staring at her with his hazel eyes which held clear meaning.

Hermione's cheeks grew ruddy. "This won't end well, Potter," she ominously said. "That's my warning to you."

She looked so awfully serious that James felt his stubbornness slipping away. "What the hell does that even mean?" he demanded.

All she did was give him a sad smile. "Anything," she dully said, shifting her eyes away from him to stare at the blazing fire. " _Everything_."

For a moment, he felt like he'd lost her. Dagworth was suddenly hundreds of miles away, lost in the sea of memories that had nothing to do with him. James didn't like the look in her eyes and was propelled to shoot forwards, kneeling down in front of Hermione to grip her shoulder, anchoring her back to reality.

"Then might as well make the time before this supposed end, the best days of your life, yeah?" he cajoled, or tried really, hating how his voice was shaky with overwhelming, desperate emotions he couldn't understand.

' _This won't end well,'_ a niggling voice hissed in his mind. _'This won't end well.'_

James hastily pushed that voice away, staring squarely at Hermione Dagworth's face.

Hermione blinked, a small tear sliding down from her eye. "You're not going to make this easy for me, are you?" she accused, but her lips were already twitching into a small, albeit sad, smile.

"I'm incorrigible," he proclaimed once more. "I'd think of other excuses just so I can spend time with you, Dagworth."

She expelled a huge, defeated sigh. "Fine, blimey, what the hell," she grumbled. "I've given you enough warnings, but you chose to be stubborn, James Potter."

* * *

It had been a week ever since he'd seen Hermione. He truly wanted to return to the Room of Requirement to see her again, but his seventh year responsibilities were keeping him from doing so. His only comfort was her small dot on the Marauder's Map; he sometimes caught her roaming around the corridors before disappearing once she'd entered the Room of Requirement. He saw her spending quite a few hours in Dumbledore's Office too, piquing James's interest all the more because, besides Dumbledore, Hermione steered clear from other people.

It was by Saturday afternoon when James finally found himself free from any responsibilities. Upon being dismissed by Flitwick, James didn't hesitate to cram his things inside his backpack and dashed out of the classroom. He could hear Sirius's exclamations of his name, but he was too focused on seeing Hermione again.

He made sure he was the only person in the seventh floor corridor before pacing in front of the bare wall. Before he'd left Hermione last time, he'd managed to convince her to tell him how he could access the Room of Requirement. As he paced in front of the wall, with the single thought of _'I need a place to meet with Hermione'_ , he felt his heartbeat quicken in anticipation.

He eagerly yanked the door open to enter, but was drawn to a halt upon noticing there were towering bookshelves with a few empty study tables around.

"Dagworth?" he called out, uncertain.

Hermione's bushy head popped out from one of the bookshelves. "In here," she said, waving him over.

James cautiously approached Hermione, eyes warily roaming around the room. "Where the hell are we?" he asked.

"The Room of Requirement," she matter-of-factly answered once he'd finally reached her, nose almost pressed against a book she was holding.

"But… it's different from last time," he sputtered out in confusion. "It almost looks like we're in some strange replica of the Hogwarts library."

"Because we are," she said, a small smile appearing on her face. "It's the Room of _Requirement_ , Potter. The room shifts depending on what the occupants need as of the moment."

James peeked at the book she was holding and frowned. "And you need to, err, _read_?" he asked.

Hermione's smile grew, walking out of the row she had been perusing a while ago, eyes still trained intently on the book she was holding. James wordlessly followed Hermione until she brought him to a table occupied with piles of thick tomes.

He sat down opposite Hermione and read the different titles of the book. "Time travelling?" he questioned. "Why are you reading about this stuff?"

It might be his imagination – he was particularly tired today after all – but he thought Hermione slightly stiffened at his question.

"I need answers," was her mere reply.

"For?"

"My questions." Her lips twitched in amusement at how he frowned in frustration.

"Which are?"

"You're really full of questions today, James Potter," she said, setting aside her book to fully look at him this time. It still unnerved him greatly how the eyes staring back at him were warm brown, but James had concluded long before that brown eyes suited Dagworth more.

Hermione then cleared her throat and pulled a blank parchment towards herself. "So," she started, "how do you plan on spending your time with me?"

She asked her question with such false calmness it was almost laughable. James would have teased her if he could, but for some strange reason, he felt a little nervous. Just a few days ago, he'd already convinced himself to forget about Hermione Dagworth and focus on his remaining months at Hogwarts. For him to discover that she hadn't completely left and was hiding away in the Room of Requirement had derailed him from whatever plans he had for himself.

Thus, simply put, he was at a loss too.

"Maybe get to know you more?" he offered. When his eyes landed on the still-opened Marauder's Map, an idea suddenly formed in his mind. "Well, for starters, what is your name?"

Hermione grew confused. "I'm sorry?"

James smiled and tapped a finger on the map. "I've been meaning to ask you, but it always slipped my mind," he explained. "But, every time I see your name on the Map, it isn't Hermione Dagworth. It's always Hermione _Granger_. I thought at first it was some strange glitch, but Remus reassured me the Map is _impeccable_. It will take a great spell to conceal one's true form."

Her eyes widened, shooting an anxious glance at the brilliant piece of paper the Marauders had devoted their time perfecting. "Bollocks," she grumbled. "I forgot how scarily accurate your Map is."

"So, your name's really Hermione Granger?" he asked, though he'd always known it would be the truth. But then, he realised Hermione's words and frowned. " _Wait_ , what do you mean you 'forgot'?" His eyes had grown wider, jaw dropping in surprise. " _Bloody hell_ , how in Merlin's saggy bum do you know about the Marauder's Map?" He'd never told her about the Map before, and he was expecting the curious witch to interrogate him about it. Her answer had thrown him off-guard.

She merely shrugged, a strange smile on her face. "The same reason as to how I knew about the Room of Requirement," she vaguely replied.

James blew a frustrated sigh. Although one of his questions had been answered, several new ones had formed. Hermione Dagworth—well, _Granger_ —wasn't making this easy for him.

"Fine, let's leave it at that," he grumbled. "Here's another question – why did you disguise yourself?" He unthinkably leant forward and grasped a loose curl stuck against her cheek. "Dark hair and brown eyes suit you more, Dag- _er_ , Granger."

Hermione pulled away, cheeks dusted with pink. "It's… well," she said, eyebrows knitting together once more as she tried to come up with an answer. James secretly hid a smile, pleased with how flustered he'd made her, and leant back in his chair once more. "We thought it'd be better if no one recognised me just in case, so a disguise was necessary."

"We?"

"Headmaster Dumbledore and I," she elaborated.

"Well, you're awfully chummy with Dumbledore," he suspiciously shot back, remembering the days he'd seen Hermione's dot in Dumbledore's Office. He tried to imagine what they were talking about during those days. James hazarded it was something about Hermione's family and whatever strange situation she was in. Besides Hermione, James firmly believed it was Dumbledore who'd be able to answer all of his questions.

Hermione made a face and hid behind her textbook. "I had no choice," she said. "He's the only one who could help me."

"Maybe I can help you too?" he offered.

Her brown eyes met his, a smile on her face. "You could really help me a lot if you promise to stop coming to the Room of Requirement to see me." The way she said those words made it sound like she was teasing, but James could see from the steely resolve in her eyes that she was serious.

"Ah," he said, matching her smile, "I believe I can't help you after all, Hermione Granger."

"Figures you'd say that," she sighed, hiding her face behind her book once more. "Go study or something, Potter. I really need to concentrate on my research."

James groaned. " _Please_ , it's a Saturday night," he whined. "Can't a bloke catch a break?"

"If said bloke is a seventh year with upcoming NEWTs, I don't think so."

"I bet if you took the NEWTs with us, you'd get all 'O's," he pointed out.

"Thank you," Hermione primly replied. "I'd take that as a compliment."

To James's surprise, the brunette suddenly placed her book down and rummaged inside her bag. She then pulled out pieces of parchment from her bag and pushed it towards James.

"What's this?" he asked, smoothing down the edges of the parchment to read its contents. There was a calendar inside, filled with different multi-coloured scribbles in the boxes. James realised he was holding a crazily detailed study schedule.

"I made a schedule for myself when I thought I'd be staying until the end of seventh year," she explained. "But seeing there was a change of plan, well, it'd be a waste to just let it rest inside my bag."

"So, you're giving it to me?" he asked, surprised.

Hermione shrugged, smiling at the expression on her face. "As I said, it'd be such a waste."

James reviewed the multi-coloured study schedule, eyes steadily growing wider until he reached the last few weeks before the scheduled NEWTs. "Merlin, Granger, are you asking to die?" he cried, furiously pointing a finger at the parchment. "There isn't any room to breathe here!"

"It's NEWTs year," she said with a shrug as if it was reason enough.

"Well, if you fail to notice, I have Quidditch and I'm _Head Boy_. I can't adhere to such a rigid schedule."

Hermione's mouth formed into a slight 'o'. "You're right," she concurred, pulling the parchment towards herself. "Give me the usual schedule for your practices and Head Boy activities. I can revise the schedule to suit you."

She looked like she wouldn't appreciate it if he refused her request, so James had no choice but to sigh and murmur a soft 'Fine'. Hermione had no qualms hiding her amused smile.

* * *

"Does Dumbledore know that I already know you're still in Hogwarts and hiding in the Room of Requirement?" James inquired during one of his breaks.

Hermione glanced over the book she was reading and nodded. "He does," she said.

"Oh," the Gryffindor said, surprised. "And what did he say?"

"'Be careful'."

James frowned. "And why should I be careful?" he asked, confused.

Her smile grew tight, brown eyes darkening with an emotion he could not decipher. "It wasn't meant for you," she simply replied.

* * *

His secret rendezvous with Hermione in the Room of Requirement stretched on for another month. If he wasn't swamped with Quidditch or Head Boy Duties, James would always slip away and seek out Hermione. Most of the time, he'd just study for his NEWTs while Hermione continued her 'research'. Sometimes, they'd agree to take a break and talk about the most mundane things. Most of the time it was James who did the talking, recounting little anecdotes about his days whilst Hermione listened with rapt attention.

As for Hermione, despite spending his time with her, James still didn't know much about her background. She got awfully stubborn and vague when he tried to ask about her family and friends back home, her face shuttering behind an indifferent mask that she'd often worn back when she was still attending classes. But despite all these unanswered questions, James had discovered a few of her strange quirks, like how she incessantly nibbled her bottom lip when she was in deep thought or how oddly she held her quill, putting so much force on it that the writing material always broke in the end. Her guilty pleasure were toffees, she had a half-cat, half-kneazle named Crookshanks back home, and she hates coffee because it makes her more nervous.

These things he knew were random facts about the enigmatic girl, but he'd kept them tucked in his memory nevertheless.

The last class for that day had ended. James normally took meals with Hermione in the Room of Requirement, so he bade his best friends goodbye with a muttered excuse and began to leave.

His best friends, however, had another plan in mind and cornered him.

"Alright, Prongs, let's cut the crap," Sirius said with a frown. "Where the hell have you been going to for the past few days?"

"Like I said, I've been studying for NEWTs," he smoothly said. After all, it wasn't a lie.

" _Where_?" Remus insisted with a suspicious look in his eyes. "I do most of my studying in the library, James, but I never see you there."

The bespectacled Gryffindor merely shrugged. "Anywhere I fancy," he said. "I can't concentrate on studying when you berks are breathing down my neck. Need I remind you, it's our NEWTs year. I can't afford to slack off, especially because I'm aiming to become an Auror."

He tried to bite back a smile, realising he was sounding like swotty Hermione Granger. Sirius eyed the strange expression on his face and scowled.

"Something's going on with you, James. I don't know what it is, but I really don't like it," he grumbled. "You're always gallivanting to Merlin-knows-where. What happened to our plan of pulling off the wickedest pranks in our last year in Hogwarts? We still haven't pulled off our elaborate pranks against McGonagall and Dumbledore! We need to make haste because NEWTs are approaching and before we know it, we'll be _graduating_ soon."

" _Nothing's_ going on with me," he insisted, ignoring the other words uttered by Sirius. "I just really need to study."

"Since when were you conscious about your studying?" Peter asked.

"Since the beginning," he said.

Remus narrowed his eyes. "You're seeing a girl, aren't you?" he accused.

James mentally cursed himself when he felt blood rushing to his cheeks.

"Oh, bloody Merlin, there is a _girl_!" Sirius exclaimed.

Knowing he was busted anyway, James sighed. "Well…" He ran a hand through his hair and sheepishly smiled. "You can say that."

"Evans?" Sirius asked.

James snorted. "No way," he said. "She still hates me, remember?"

"I don't know about that, mate," Remus murmured, a strange glint in his eyes, but James opted to ignore him.

"Who is it then?" Peter eagerly asked.

James flashed a gummy smile. "The Invisible Girl," he said.

His friends blinked at his reply. Sirius smacked his arm, grey eyes narrowed into thin slits. "Be serious, wanker," he admonished.

"I can't be Sirius," James cackled. "Because _you_ are Sirius.'

Remus groaned and ran a tired hand across his scarred face. "That stupid joke is getting old, you know," he pointed out, although it was unmistakable how he was trying to bite back a grin.

James snickered, realising it truly had been a while since he'd spent time with his friends. _'Maybe just for today,'_ he thought, deciding to spend the whole day with his friends instead. He'd never explicitly stated that he was going to the Room of Requirement every day, anyway. He sometimes skipped their meeting when he had to attend Quidditch practices or if he had meetings with Evans and the Prefects. Granted, Hermione was informed he wouldn't come on those days. Still, he thought it wouldn't hurt if he didn't go to meet her today.

The Potter heir grinned once more and swung his arms around Sirius's and Peter's shoulders. "So, I thought about this wicked prank to pull on McGonagall," he offered.

Sirius matched his wicked grin. "Now, we're talking!"

* * *

James wasn't entirely sure, but he felt like Hermione was a little cold today. She didn't spare him a glance when he arrived, only tilting her head to acknowledge his greeting. Normally, she would give him her pretty smile before returning to her research.

Her silence had stretched on for a few more minutes. James tried to engage her in some small talk, but the brunette would merely quip one-worded replies and dismiss him altogether.

He'd given up talking to her after an hour, opting to study for Herbology before he had to leave. Hermione by then was furiously scribbling notes on her parchment, scary concentration on her face. James knew after spending a few months with her that Hermione shouldn't be disturbed when she was acting like this.

It took him a few seconds to realise that the angry scratching on her parchment had stopped. James lifted his head to curiously look over at her, but was surprised to see that she was already looking at him. There was an unreadable expression on her face, her lips pursed into a thin line.

"What?" he self-consciously asked.

"You didn't come yesterday," she accused.

James blinked in confusion. "Well, I was cornered by my friends yesterday and we played a prank on McGonagall," he carefully replied.

"You didn't tell me."

His eyes widened in surprise. "I'm sorry," he deliberately said, a frown tugging his lips downward, "I didn't know I had to inform you as to whether I'd be coming or not."

Hermione mirrored his widened eyes, cheeks now turning splotchy red with embarrassment. "You're right," she hastily said, hiding her face behind her book. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry. You're right."

James shot her a strange look, wondering why she was acting oddly today. He scratched his chin with the tip of his quill, racking his brain to make some sense of Hermione's strange behaviour.

Then, his jaw dropping in bewilderment, he lurched forward and pulled her book down to reveal her face. "Were you waiting for me yesterday?" he asked, almost breathlessly.

She didn't need to voice out any words. Her cheeks turned ruddier, brown eyes refusing to meet James's surprised-and delighted-gaze.

"You were, weren't you?" he asked, unable to suppress a triumphant grin.

Hermione scowled and yanked the book upright, effectively hiding her face once more. "What the bloody hell are you talking about, Potter?" she snapped.

James placed his chin on top of his upturned palm, grin still in place. "If you promise to call me 'James' from now on, I'll visit you every day, Granger," he teased.

"Shut up," she shot back, kicking him under the table.

James exclaimed a pained laugh, but felt too mightily giddy to be annoyed at Hermione's bout of violence. "I'm very flattered that you miss me," he said, placing his hand over his heart with mock sincerity.

Hermione had shut him up for the rest of the night with a powerful Silencing Charm.

They had stayed silent for the rest of the night, minding their own businesses, until James wordlessly pointed to his watch. Hermione understood it was nearing curfew. She waited for James to fix his things and walk out of the door before removing the Silencing Charm.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Granger, I promise," he teased, nervously laughing and raising both of his hands in surrender when Hermione threateningly pointed her wand at him once more.

"Goodnight," he said with a smile. He was still reluctant to go, but he knew his best friends would go berserk if they discovered he hadn't slept in the Gryffindor Tower. He couldn't afford for them to become more persistent in discovering where he mostly spent his days.

Hermione smiled in reply. James bid her another goodnight and turned on his heel.

He had only taken a few steps when he heard her voice again.

"Goodnight, James."

He skidded to a halt, turning around quickly to look back at Hermione, but the door of the secret room had vanished.

James grinned widely at the bare wall.

"Idiot," he fondly sighed. He wasn't quite sure if it was meant for Hermione, for being stupidly, undoubtedly, embarrassed by calling him by his first name.

Or maybe it was for himself, for being stupidly, undoubtedly, in love with Hermione Granger.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soooo I did say 'Hero of the Story' was inspired by this one-shot, so I really can't help putting the similarities. Think of this as a shorter, alternate version of HotS hahaha.
> 
> Okay, so good news! I think you can already conclude that this story isn't finished, so yes, this fic is now officially a three-shot yay! Part III is almost finished – I need to write a scene or two before I send it to my beta.
> 
> The bad news, on the other hand… well, I think this will be my last story for now. I'll be going to rotate in the hospital starting February so I won't have too much free time. Also, 2021 is crucial for my medical career, since I'll be having my licensure exam by September and I really frickin need to set my priorities straight and start studying. Simply put, I don't have enough brain cells to come up with decent plots from now on. I'd love to really write a Regulus/Hermione fic. I mean, I already have a basic premise in mind but I can't devote my time to it. I might post a HotS one-shot or two in the near future, since both are already finished midway, but no promises.
> 
> Sooo there hahaha. I'm going to miss writing, but I really need the hiatus. As much as I love writing, it sadly isn't a priority for me this year. I'll be a silent reader maybe, so I hope to see more James/Hermione fics in the future!
> 
> That's it for now. Expect to see Part III soon (I hope… hehe)
> 
> Keep safe and stay healthy, loves!


	3. Part III

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's finally hereeeee. I'm so sorry it took a while but yay I finished this fic! Special thanks to my beta, lozipozivanillabean. 
> 
> Before you proceed, go read the tags hahahah. Enjoy!

* * *

" _The truth… It is a beautiful and terrible thing, and should therefore be treated with great caution." – Albus Dumbledore, Sorcerer's Stone_

* * *

James was in the middle of putting the textbooks Hermione had used for her research back into their proper shelves when he spied her sitting on the stone-cold floor of the Room of Requirement. Upon closer look, the brunette had dozed off, her back propped against the bookshelf. Opened books about time travelling and other arithmancy mumbo jumbo were scattered around her. James, with an incredulous smile, wondered if Hermione had been having enough sleep. Her researching had grown rigorous, after all. Most of the time she kept to herself, obsessively poring over thick tomes of books to inhale as much knowledge as she could.

He hadn't asked her again why she was studying about time travelling. There was this niggling itch in the back of his mind, urging to probe closer, _deeper_ , just to get the answers he so desperately wanted. But, there was also a part of him that wanted to turn a blind eye and pretend that she was just a curious, little witch. James wasn't sure if he'd like the truth, if she ever chose to reveal it.

"Granger," he called, bending down to pick up the upturned books. With a wave of his wand, the pile of books in his arms flew towards their proper places in the bookshelves.

Hermione was still asleep. _'Maybe it'd be best if I let her sleep,'_ he thought, lowering himself down onto the floor just beside the slumbering brunette.

She was warm. And so very close. Their shoulders were just a hairsbreadth away from each other and James had to stop himself from pressing closer. No matter how close they were, there would always be a huge space stretching far and wide between them anyway.

' _This won't end well,'_ he echoed, perhaps for the umpteenth time, as he closed his eyes and leaned his head against the bookshelf. _'Don't get too close, Icarus.'_

His eyes suddenly flew open when he felt soft curls brushing against his cheek. He stiffened, realising Hermione was leaning her head against his shoulder, still very much asleep.

His nose was instantly filled with a scent of toffees, new parchment and old books. There was also a faint scent of strawberries teasing his nose.

She was warmer still and James felt his heart jumping to his throat. Dizzy because of her scent and her closeness and warmth, James's eyes fluttered closed once more and he finally whispered the words that had been residing in his heart for a few weeks now.

"I think I love you, Hermione Granger."

He wasn't sure if what he felt for her was like that already. He'd never had any proper experience with such strong emotions before. His feelings for Lily Evans were surely mighty, but what he felt for the redhead was different from how he felt for Hermione. But whatever these feelings were, James had an inkling it would take him a long time to recover once the inevitable end with Hermione came.

His senses were snapped back into focus when Hermione lifted her head and climbed onto her feet. James lifted his head to look at her, wide-eyed. Her cheeks were a brilliant shade of red and there was unfiltered panic in her brown eyes.

' _Ah, bollocks,'_ he thought as he also climbed to his feet, a guarded expression on his face. _'She bloody heard me.'_

"No."

James frowned. "What?" he asked.

" _No_ ," she repeated, this time with more vehemence. "You don't love me, James Potter."

His frown deepened as he dared to take a few steps towards the brunette. Predictably, she took a few steps back. Irrational anger mingled with deep frustration roared inside his chest. _This_ always happened between them; he bloody well knew it. Every time he came too close for comfort, she'd pull away without fail.

"But what if I am?" he snapped back, lifting his chin in defiance.

But Hermione wouldn't back down, vigorously shaking her head in reply. "No," she claimed once more. "You're merely mistaking this - this whatever the hell this is with fascination because of how bloody mysterious I am."

"Hermione—"

She expelled a deep, tired sigh, tears now pooling in her eyes. "This isn't right, James," she whispered, and he thought it was unfair how she was able to breathe out his name so delicately at that moment. "I know you know in the deepest recesses of your heart that this – between us – isn't right."

He looked away, unable to rebut a decent argument because it was the _truth_.

His mouth ran dry when he spied one of her time travelling books.

"Don't come here anymore," she curtly replied as she wiped her tears away. Her gaze was unforgiving, hard and steely with utmost seriousness. "Don't bother me anymore."

His body acted on its own, shooting forwards to reach Hermione, but the brunette had already donned his Invisibility Cloak over her body and left.

* * *

He'd been barred from entering the Room of Requirement.

After that disastrous revelation, James promised to steer clear from the secret room just to respect Hermione's wishes. That had been a week ago already, and he'd started going to the Room of Requirement once more to visit. He'd always come prepared, wand brandished out in case the bushy-haired girl would hurtle a spell once he showed his face. But try as he might, he couldn't get the door to materialise. He tried various mantras when pacing in front of the bare wall, but none had worked.

James at first thought Hermione was gone for good. It wasn't the first time she'd run away after a stupid slip anyway. His only consolation that Hermione was still in Hogwarts was her little dot on the Marauder's Map, roaming around the corridors and hanging around Dumbledore's Office.

Today wasn't any different. _'Please let me see Hermione Granger,'_ was his mantra for the day, pacing in frustration in front of the bare wall. And, like always, no door had materialised in front of him.

The Head Boy expelled a huge sigh. A brief glance at his colour-coded schedule reminded him he had Quidditch practise in an hour, but James didn't feel like going yet. So instead, he slid down the tapestry on the opposite the wall and waited.

"Potter."

James blinked, surprised to see Lily Evans just a few paces away from him. The redhead sported a small frown, green eyes narrowed slightly in curiosity. "What the hell are you doing here?" she asked.

"I could ask you the same thing," he pointed out, quirking a small smile which only prompted to deepen her frown.

Lily glanced around the corridor, looking as if she'd get a clue as to why the bespectacled Gryffindor was sitting on the floor in a deserted hall. She then cautiously approached James, and to his astonishment, slid down onto the floor just beside him.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

The Head Girl shrugged, leaning her head against the tapestry. "You've been weird lately, Potter, you know?" she softly quipped.

"Yeah," he sighed, too tired to retort a decent reply. "I bet."

Lily awkwardly scratched her chin and peered her green eyes at him. "Did… well, did something happen?" she tentatively asked. James glanced at her in surprise, because really, Lily never asked him about these kinds of things. The witch's cheeks grew pink, but she didn't shift her gaze away. "You've been constantly distracted for the past few days. Black and your other annoying friends are really worried about you."

"And you're not?" he teased.

The green-eyed Gryffindor scowled in protest, but her cheeks had turned redder. James quirked an eyebrow at her strange reaction to his cajoling. "I'm managing," he then replied. "Things haven't been exactly fine and dandy for me, Evans."

"Was it because Dagworth left?"

His eyes widened in disbelief. "What?" he sputtered out.

Lily refused to look at him. "I mean, it wasn't hard to put two and two together, Potter," she hastily explained. "You were always with her before and since she's gone you've been… _weird_."

"Huh," he said, an incredulous smile on his face.

"What does that mean?" she shot back, slightly embarrassed.

"It's just surprising you remember her," he said. "Nobody batted an eye when Dumbledore announced that she'd left."

This time, Lily pierced him with her green eyes. "Except you," she quietly replied.

James slowly frowned, eyes roaming around Lily Evans's face. There was a strange emotion on Lily's face he had never seen before.

" _Lily likes you very, very much."_

Clarity coloured his hazel eyes, followed by genuine disbelief. _'Bloody Merlin, really?'_ he thought to himself. He might be getting too ahead of himself for arriving at such a conclusion, but James had had similar feelings for a certain brunette for quite some time now. Besides, Lily's face had always been like an open book. However the hell it had happened, he was certain that she bloody liked him now.

"Evans—"

He abruptly paused, a familiar strawberry scent teasing his nose. James whipped around, franticly searching for any sign of Hermione. The corridor was still void of anybody except for him and the Head Girl. The bespectacled wizard narrowed his eyes, attentively focusing on any shimmery distortion that would give away Hermione's presence in the seventh floor corridor.

"Potter?" Evans's voice broke through his concentration. He jolted when he felt a hand on his shoulder, head turning this time to look at Lily. She looked curious and worried at the same time.

A lump formed in his throat. The strawberry scent grew stronger on his left side – Hermione was nearer. He glanced at the empty space on his other side and he was sure Hermione was also sitting on the floor beside him.

"Is everything alright?" Lily asked. "You look a little pale, Potter."

James turned his head straight ahead and slowly closed his eyes. "No, it isn't," was his quiet reply.

He knew Lily had grown more worried but James couldn't bring himself to lie through his teeth. Hermione was near and a part of him grew angry because she'd avoided him after that disastrous day in the Room of Requirement. He wanted to turn to his side, remove that blasted Invisibility Cloak he couldn't believe he'd come to hate, and convince Hermione that what he felt for her wasn't mere fascination. How could she even think of that, when right now, sandwiched between the pretty redhead he believed he was hopelessly in love with before and the mysterious, invisible girl, the latter was all he could think about?

It would have been wonderful if his feelings for Lily hadn't disappeared. The witch was so close, so worried and warm and _visible_ , and it would be easy if he could just reach out for her. Perhaps, his life would be easier then.

And yet.

James sighed, brushed those ridiculous things off his mind, and climbed onto his feet. "I'll be off," he said. "I have Quidditch practise soon."

He was aware that two sets of eyes were trained intently on his back, but James didn't give them a single glance back.

* * *

He stared at the door with wide eyes.

James had been so used to failing for the past few weeks that he wasn't prepared when the door of the Room of Requirement materialised in front of him. He couldn't even remember what mantra had worked as he was already yanking the door open and striding inside.

The room was designed like the pseudo-Gryffindor Common Room once more, with Hermione seated on her favourite armchair just in front of the roaring fire. Their eyes instantly met and for a few moments, neither of them dared to talk, dared to _breathe_ even.

"You let me in," James blurted out when he thought the silence had stretched too long.

Hermione shifted her brown eyes down to the coffee table. "Yeah," she quietly replied.

James thickly swallowed, eyes sweeping around the coffee table and couch where Hermione sat. "Well, that's a welcome change," he lightly said, trying to desperately dispel the awkwardness blanketing the two of them. "It's the first time I've seen you without your nose buried behind a book. You're not researching today?"

She silently shook her head, her gaze still trained on the table. "My research is done," she revealed.

"Oh?" he asked. "And did you finally get the answers you needed?"

She took her time to painstakingly shift her gaze away from the table, brown eyes piercing him with an unreadable expression on her face. "Yes," she replied. "Finally."

There was that uncomfortable niggling at the back of his head once more, urging him to probe further, and completely unravel whatever the mystery Hermione Granger hid to herself.

But James wasn't brave enough. Not yet, anyway. His heart grew heavy and his head a tad fuzzy with her answer, and he promised himself he'd think about it later.

"Hermione, about last time… I'm so—"

"Do you want to go to Hogsmeade with me?"

"— _what_?"

The corners of her mouth twitched in amusement. "I said, do you want to go to Hogsmeade with me?" she repeated. "I know there's one this weekend, and I just thought it'd be a nice change to wander out of Hogwarts."

"Hogwarts is suffocating you once more?" he lightly teased, a small smirk on his face.

She softly chuckled, her eyes turning a tad brighter than before. "You can say that," she said. "And… and I need to tell you something."

"Uh-oh," he whispered, although his throat ran dry at how serious she looked. "That bad?"

She gave him a sad smile that did nothing but make his heart heavier. James had this inkling whatever would transpire in Hogsmeade would make matters worse between them, and he didn't like it one bit. "I'd love to," he then slowly said, looking away from Hermione's bright, brown eyes, "but I remembered I have some Prefect meeting with Evans and the others. I can't miss it as the Head Boy."

"Liar," she sighed. James turned to her sharply, stunned. "I revised your schedule to insert your Head Boy duties and Quidditch practices, Potter. You have no prior engagement on that day."

"Well, Lily wanted to have a meeting that day," he persisted, this time stubbornly holding her gaze. "It was a spur-of-the-moment plan."

"Liar," she echoed as a small, watery smile grew on her face. "I don't think Lily will schedule a meeting on Hogsmeade Day."

He was growing annoyed, maybe a little desperate too, and he didn't stop himself from scowling. "Fine, _fuck it_ , you got me," he spat. "What if I don't want to go and meet you in Hogsmeade on that day, Granger?"

"Potter—"

"You look like someone _died_ ," he snarled, despair now clawing its way up from his stomach and gripping tightly around his heart. James found it suddenly difficult to breathe. "I'm not daft; whatever will happen in Hogsmeade, I'm sure I wouldn't like it at all. So, _no_ , Granger. I don't think I'm going to Hogsmeade with you on that day."

She looked tired with his ranting, but there was no hint of surprise on her face. "Please, it's just going to take maybe a few hours," she pleaded.

"Why don't you tell it to me _right now_?" he demanded, challenge in his eyes. Her face crumpled with stubbornness, immediately looking away from his fiery gaze. "You know what? Maybe I'll just leave."

He stood up from the couch and stomped away without giving her a glance back.

"James."

He hated himself for faltering, purposeful footsteps shifting into timid, hesitant steps when she called out his name. James refused to look back, however. He didn't want to give her the satisfaction.

"I'll be… I'll be waiting for you at Greenhouse 3."

He left without another word.

* * *

It was almost noon when James finally cracked. His bedroom in the Gryffindor Tower was long deserted, his roommates already leaving for Hogsmeade a few hours ago. His best friends had cajoled him to come with them for that day, but James lied through his teeth, saying he wasn't feeling quite well and wished to be left alone.

" _We promise to buy you some sweets,"_ was Sirius's parting words, exchanging worried glances with Remus and Peter. Thankfully, they didn't probe further; James was too tired to come up with another decent excuse to stay hidden inside the castle.

For the rest of the morning, he tried to busy himself by studying in advance for his NEWTs. Seeing that it was Hogsmeade weekend, Hermione didn't schedule any lessons for him to study for that day. _'Ha, look at that, Hermione Granger,'_ he triumphantly thought. _'I actually take my studying seriously.'_

After thinking about that, however, his mind strayed back to Hermione once more. He'd been distracted ever since, constantly mulling over going to Hogsmeade with Hermione or not. He already had this feeling Hermione was waiting for him in Greenhouse 3, perhaps quite cold since a light snowfall had started just this morning.

' _Let her wait,'_ he thought to himself, petulantly draping his thick blanket over him to force himself to go back to sleep. There would be a whole day Quidditch practice tomorrow and James needed a well-deserved rest.

But then, mere minutes had passed when he dragged himself out of his bed, a huge scowl on his face. James darkly muttered to himself as he donned a decent change of clothes, a thick jumper, and wound a scarf around his neck to keep himself warm.

The first and second year Gryffindors who weren't allowed to go to Hogsmeade steered a clear path for the furious Head Boy, their curious, terrified eyes following him until he slammed the portrait door with a loud bang. The Fat Lady shrilly cried in indignation, but all fell into deaf ears as James stomped towards his destination.

He didn't meet any familiar faces during his journey, although James reckoned he would ignore anyone who greeted him anyway. His mind was too focused with his agenda for today, trying to come up with any decent conversation starters that would stop Hermione from inevitably blurting out whatever she had to say to him.

By the time he reached Greenhouse 3, James was in a sour mood.

"I'm here," he grumbled, hazel eyes sweeping around the empty greenhouse in search of any tell-tale signs of his Invisibility Cloak.

A shimmery movement caught his attention near the potted Fanged Germaniums. Hermione then revealed her head, a mixture of surprise and relief on her face. "You actually came," was her greeting.

James blew out a huge sigh. "Bloody Merlin knows why I did," he mumbled.

Hermione hid her head inside his Invisibility Cloak once more and approached James. He could hear her boots crunching on the dried leaves on the ground, and by the time she was near, her strawberry scent had already overwhelmed his senses.

He led the invisible girl towards the thestral-drawn carriages. This time, they were the only two people inside since most of the students were already in Hogsmeade.

Their journey towards the village was a quiet, tensed one. James could feel the nervousness radiating off of Hermione, prompting him to become more restless and annoyed. The dread of what her words may bring had increased tenfold and James had half a mind of jumping out of the carriage to run away from Hermione as fast as he could.

It was too late now when the thestral drew to a halt. James jumped down from the carriage and instinctively offered his hand. Hermione's warm hand held his, lightly squeezing it in silent gratitude until she had let him go.

He could feel her shoulder brushing slightly against his arm as he led her into the village. The streets were filled to the brim with students despite how cold it was. White snow had blanketed the cobblestone ground and James could even see some students already breaking into a snowball fight.

James prayed he wouldn't come across his best friends while in Hogsmeade. Sirius would surely go ballistic if he discovered James lied just to ditch them for a girl. Granted, said girl was currently invisible, which would infuriate his best friends all the more.

' _I really need to spend more time with the blokes,'_ James thought with a silent sigh. Graduation was nearing soon and they'd choose their own careers. The Potter heir still knew they'd be seeing each other often, especially with some hushed talks with Dumbledore and this secret resistance he was building against Voldemort, but it wouldn't be the same.

"Where to first?" he heard Hermione's soft question.

Wordlessly, he led her to Scrivenshaft's. He was running low with parchment and he'd used up most of his multi-coloured inkwells. It would be best to stack up, now that NEWTs were nearing and James had to study better.

"Do you want anything?" he asked when he felt Hermione pressing against his shoulder.

"No, I'm good," she replied.

James lightly smiled. "You sure?" he asked. "I can really feel you boring holes at the expensive quills on display."

She snorted, much to his amusement. "And I can assure you that I'm not," she interjected. "It won't matter what kinds of quill I have after today, anyway."

There she was again, being ominous and all. James's smile morphed into a small frown as he turned on his heel to purchase his supplies, Hermione closely following behind.

He then dragged her to Honeydukes just so he could buy his month-long supply of sweets. He even slipped a few toffees under his Cloak for Hermione. By the time he brought her to the Three Broomsticks, the number of customers inside had dwindled.

James surveyed the whole pub just to see if he'd see his friends. After making sure that the coast was clear, he purposefully walked towards Madame Rosmerta and bought two butterbeers. "Only you again today, lad?" the pretty barmaid asked, quirking an eyebrow as she glanced behind James in search of his companion. "Your rowdy friends have just left."

"No, it's only me today," he said, flashing his handsome smile. "Two butterbeers, please."

Madame Rosmerta looked suspicious, but James insisted for his order once more, leaving her no room to interrogate. He thanked her cordially when she gave his order.

"Do you want to stay here for a while?" he murmured under his breath, hoping Hermione had heard him. Madame Rosmerta had heard him too, her curious gaze landing on him once more. James flashed another winning smile and scuttled farther away from the suspicious witch.

"What happened to not wanting to look barmy to other people?" Hermione quietly teased.

James snorted. "There are a few secluded booths at the back of the pub that could conceal us," he replied. "Besides, we've been walking since we came here. My feet are a little sore, so I thought of sitting down for a while."

It was a lie.

He thought if he'd drank butterbeer with Hermione in the pub, he'd be able to postpone whatever she wanted to tell him. He knew Hermione wouldn't want to make him look barmy either, and judging from her grave expression last time in the Room of Requirement, James already had a feeling he would blow his top off.

"Let's go to the Shrieking Shack instead," she said, latching onto his wrist and dragging him out of the Three Broomsticks despite his soft protests. James pulled his hand away once they were outside, as he was getting strange looks from other people.

"Fine," he sighed, gloomily stomping towards the path leading to the Shrieking Shack.

He took his time, mentally and emotionally readying himself with whatever bomb Hermione would drop on him. The brunette had thankfully kept quiet too and didn't rush him at all.

His hazel eyes were trained intently on the snow-covered ground, slightly amazed at how Hermione was still leaving footsteps despite her invisibility. It comforted him a bit that she was really _here_ – that she wasn't merely conjured by his imagination, too distraught when she left before without saying goodbye.

She pulled him into a stop when they reached a fairly secluded area. It was the same place where he brought her before during their first date at Hogsmeade, and James could feel himself panicking once more. Last time, Hermione left without saying goodbye.

Why did he feel like today would be the same too?

"Come sit down, James."

He had no other choice but to oblige, sitting on the patch of grass Hermione had bewitched to be dry and warm. James set the butterbeers aside and refused to be the first one to break the silence in the end. He could feel Hermione's nervousness radiating underneath the Invisibility Cloak. Whatever she wanted to tell him today, she surely was having a hard time forming words.

"Can you please say something?"

James blinked, surprised, his hazel eyes landing on the shimmery distortion beside him. "What do you want me to say?" he incredulously asked. "You're the one who insisted she has something huge to tell me today, Granger. Besides, I'm not really in a chatty mood." He frowned and absentmindedly tore the small weeds from the ground. "If you really want me to talk, I might say my feelings once more, which I'm sure you bloody won't like."

He heard her sigh. "You're being difficult, do you know that?" she grumbled.

" _I'm_ the one being difficult?" he snapped, rounding at her with wide, disbelieving eyes. "I've been nothing but honest with you, Hermione. I think my intentions since day one were as clear as day. It's you- _always_ you - I cannot figure out. And so, between the two of us, I think you should look at yourself first before telling me I'm the difficult one."

She sighed once more, this sound more tired and frustrated. "You're being bloody incorrigible, when I gave you enough warnings to _back the hell off_ ," she snapped. "But you insisted on always coming, to always seek me out, to always be… be there. Your presence isn't part of the fucking plan, Potter. The initial plan was for me to lie low, to keep my head down, to be _bloody invisible_ until Dumbledore and I came up with a solution to my huge predicament. So yes, forgive me, if I think you're being difficult. You made _everything_ difficult, James Potter."

Her voice was now quivering, and James realised she'd started to cry.

"You… you weren't supposed to happen," she quietly continued. "I was supposed to be invisible. I still blame Dumbledore for whatever's happening right now. I told him at first letting me attend classes at Hogwarts would be disastrous, but he insisted that I shouldn't hide away until we find a solution. _'Perhaps, you'll find help along the way'._ HA! All we managed to do is create perhaps an even bigger problem and I cannot forgive myself – _will_ not forgive myself – if I'm the reason why—"

She abruptly stopped her angry tirade, maybe realising she was starting to reveal some things she wasn't supposed to. James's head was already bursting with endless questions since Hermione wasn't making any sense at all. Words were crowding at the tip of his tongue, but try as he might, no sensible words escaped from his lips.

"I was supposed to be invisible," she murmured once more. "But you always sought me out, Potter."

"Well, how could I not?" he retorted back, surprised with himself he was able to blurt coherent words despite his confusion. "You're brilliant and beautiful and… and I don't understand why you're trying your hardest to become invisible when you are all I see, Hermione. Even when I thought you left."

She fell silent with his reply, and James grew remorseful, thinking he'd said another stupid slip that would drive Hermione farther away from him.

The next words she said wasn't something he expected.

"I don't belong here, James," she said. "I will _never_ belong here."

"What are you talking about?" he spluttered out, confused beyond reason.

"And what I wanted to tell you is that I'll be returning to where I belong. _Very soon_."

"What does that even mean?" he asked in exasperation, raw panic now rising from his stomach. "Are you leaving this time?"

Hermione daintily sniffed. "Yes," she said. "I thought it was unfair to you how I left without saying goodbye last time. You… you at least deserve a farewell from me."

"Where the hell are you going?" he asked. "Is it far from here? Maybe I could visit by Floo? Or maybe Port—"

"James," she sighed, cutting him off from his panicked tirade, "it's somewhere far away from here. No one can follow me."

The memories of her time travelling research flashed in his mind's eye and James grew desperate. "I'll follow you wherever you go," he blurted out.

"I think you know that you can't do that, James."

" _No_ ," he grounded out. "If you found the answers to your research, then I'm sure it won't be impossible for me to do it."

"James—"

" _No,_ Hermione," he spat back, realising that his vision was starting to blur with forming tears. "I will follow you wherever you go."

He reached forward and grasped the soft material of his Invisibility Cloak. James was tempted to yank it out of her just so he could see her face. Instead, he tightly crumpled his fingers around it, knowing it would bring more problems for Hermione if someone discovered she hadn't left at all.

To his surprise, Hermione suddenly draped the Invisibility Cloak over James's head, pulling him close and effectively hiding them both from any passers-by. He found himself face to face with a tearful Hermione, tears quietly pouring down from her deep brown eyes.

For a moment, neither of them dared to breathe. Her sudden closeness made him dizzy, hazel eyes unwittingly darting down at her pink, parted lips. It was reminiscent of that time in the library, when James discovered her crying her eyes out in the dead of the night. She wore the same face – the same devastated face – and James's had this sinking feeling this emotion was now because of _him_.

Hermione gingerly placed a hand against his cheek, brown eyes slipping closed as she slowly, tentatively, brought her face closer to his until her lips were pressed against his. This simple action jolted all of his nerves, his hand eagerly resting on her neck to pull her closer.

It was everything he dreamed of, tender and sweet. Her lips tasted of tears and the toffees he'd bought for her and James wanted more. So much _more_. He frantically wrapped his other arm around her waist, pulling her flush against his chest.

Hermione, however, placed a hand against his chest, her lips slowing from their fevered speed until she was merely pressing the barest of kisses against his lips.

When she gingerly pulled away, her eyes still closed as if savouring the kiss they had shared a while ago. Her lips left an aftertaste in his mouth – _goodbye_.

Goodbye. She was saying goodbye. "You're really going to leave," he croaked, his eyes growing wide in desperate disbelief.

He tried to grab her arm once more but Hermione had completely pulled away from him, still under the Invisibility Cloak. James was aware he was very much exposed to anyone who might see him, but he didn't care. He tried to reach out for Hermione again, but he couldn't even see her anymore.

"Goodbye, James Potter," the Invisible Girl whispered and left.

* * *

She was gone the next day, leaving without any trace at all.

James decided last night after their Hogsmeade date if he should seek out for Hermione in the Room of Requirement, but like last time, no door had materialised for him. He spent the whole morning frantically searching for Hermione on the Marauder's Map, but despite how much he looked, he couldn't find her.

The Head Boy tiredly sighed and leant his forehead against the cold wall, the useless Map limp in his hand.

"She isn't coming back."

His hazel eyes widened in bewilderment. His gaze landed on a grim Dumbledore, who was standing a few paces away from him in the deserted corridor.

James quickly looked away to brush his wayward tears away, aware that the Headmaster was stepping closer to him.

"She isn't coming back, Mister Potter," he repeated, his voice gentler this time. James hated the look of sympathy in his eyes. Truly, he had nothing but respect for Professor Dumbledore, but right now, he really just wanted him to fuck off.

"She might be inside the Room of Requirement," James bluntly pointed out.

The Headmaster sighed and rummaged inside his pocket. "Forgive me, I'm entirely to blame," he quietly said. "This wasn't supposed to happen." He then offered a scrap of parchment towards the Head Boy.

James curiously grasped the piece of paper, absentmindedly nodding his head for goodbye when Dumbledore asked to be excused.

With shaky hands, James opened the note and brought it closer to his eyes.

_Name him Harry._

It was brief. It wasn't even signed. But James instantly knew it was from Hermione, recalling the name that had slipped out from her mouth.

He crumpled the piece of paper in his hand, unable to understand what she meant.

* * *

Months passed. Spring blew into summer and soon, the seventh years were standing together for their graduation.

The whole day was a whirlwind of celebration and joy, and in the middle of it all were the boisterous Marauders, commemorating their last day at Hogwarts by setting off numerous firecrackers in the Hogsmeade grounds that almost gave Filch a heart attack.

"You really won't apply to the DMLE?" Sirius quipped when the crowd had started to dwindle, families one by one returning to their own homes. "The deadline for the Auror application is next week, Prongs."

James's face darkened. "I still have to fix some bureaucratic shite once I get home," he replied, the momentary joy from their prank now dissipating as reality now sank in. With his parents' passing due to Dragon Pox, he'd assumed the position as the Head of the Potter family and his primary agenda was to sell Potter Manor.

"It isn't too late either to sell off Potter Manor, you know," Remus pointed out, joining in the conversation. Peter also scuttled closer, although he didn't offer any word.

"Nah, I've already decided," he said, an empty smile on his face. "I don't need a huge house to live in. My parents left me Godric's Hollow anyway and I think I'm better suited to living there than a huge, empty Manor. Besides…" He trailed off, a bushy-haired brunette briefly coming into mind. "Potter Manor was already suffocating."

James blinked when he felt a small, warm hand enclosing his large, calloused one. He offered a grateful smile at the worried redhead, rubbing soothing circles over her knuckles. He paused at the glinting emerald ring around her finger before meeting Lily's eyes. "Hey, hey, not that look," he teased, squeezing her hand in reassurance. "Don't tell me you'd rather live in a spacious Manor where there is a high chance of getting lost."

Lily snorted and rolled her eyes. "I'll be fine anywhere, Potter," she said. "What difference does it make if I'm going to get married to you anyway?"

His smile faltered a tad bit, heart thudding loudly inside his chest, before giving her another full-blown smile.

"Ack, the googly eyes must seriously stop!" Sirius complained. "Save those glances for your wedding night, Merlin and Morgana."

Lily prettily blushed and threw a light glare at Sirius. The shaggy-haired wizard teased the witch more, while Lily threw witty banters that brought Remus into laughter. Even Peter, who'd strangely been subdued for the past few months, managed to crack a smile at how boisterous the two were being.

James surreptitiously glanced at the ring around Lily's finger once more. He loved her. Truly, _truly_ he did. Despite the happenings in the past months, Lily and the Marauders were the only constant people in his lives. The Head Girl had also started talking to him more, sitting beside him in classes and during meals, and even studying with him for NEWTs. He knew asking her to Hogsmeade was the right thing to do, and he didn't regret it at all when she finally agreed.

His boyish crush for Lily had ignited once more, and inevitably he fell in love. A few days before graduation, he finally asked for her hand in marriage and Lily had said yes.

But sometimes… sometimes, when his thoughts would be miles away from the present, Lily's red hair bled to brown, emerald eyes morphing into brown ones that would warm him whole. He almost always caught himself instantly, pushing those ridiculous thoughts at the deepest recesses of his heart just so he could finally live at peace.

"Is something wrong?" Lily suddenly asked, ducking her face closer. Behind them, Sirius continued to be boisterous, calling out to their classmates to congratulate them and ask them what they'd do after Hogwarts.

"Everything's fine," James reassured. He'd been telling that to himself every day, anyway, so he knew it was already the truth.

* * *

"There was a prophecy about Voldemort's downfall, and I'm afraid it is about your child."

James stared blankly at an apologetic Dumbledore while his wife broke down into quiet tears. "Are you sure?" he rasped out. Thunderous thoughts crowded inside his head – thoughts he couldn't make sense at all. His eyes shifted at his devastated wife, her hand gravitating to her still-small belly.

"I'm sorry," Dumbledore quietly replied.

He bowed his head, hand snaking towards the bridge of his nose to try to rub the forming headache away. "What must we do?" he finally asked.

"I think it is best if you both hide in the meantime," the Headmaster continued. "I've talked with Alastor and Kingsley. We've already done the necessary arrangement to place your family under the Fidelius Charm. If, of course, you agree."

"Fidelius Charm?" James echoed, surprised. If the Order is willing to place them under such powerful magic, then perhaps they really were in even bigger danger than he'd originally thought.

"I'm sorry," was all Dumbledore could say, noticing the stricken expression on James's face.

Beside him, Lily gripped his hand and brought it closer to her face, crying desperately for the growing life inside her.

* * *

For the following months, James's sole purpose in life was to keep his family safe. Lily's condition after the revelation of the prophecy had been delicate, and Dumbledore had to constantly send Madame Pomfrey over the hidden Potter Cottage just to make sure Lily and their child was safe.

James was restless during their seclusion, but what could he do? He very much wanted to fight alongside his friends, but his family came first. He'd be damned if something happened to Lily and their unborn child.

This had gone on for months and in the morning of July 31, 1980, Lily announced her water broke. The day was a frenzied blur, with Madame Pomfrey kicking him out of their bedroom as she assisted their son's birth. By the time things had registered in his mind, the Mediwitch was ushering him inside and placing a small bundle in his arms.

James stared at his son's emerald eyes in bewilderment, still in disbelief that just a few minutes ago, he was still inside his mother's belly.

"He's beautiful, isn't he?"

He glanced at his tired wife and offered a watery grin. Lily looked exhausted but terribly happy, shining tears in her eyes as she gazed at their newborn son. There was also shadowed grief in her eyes, as if she knew, deep inside, she might not survive this war to see him grow up.

"Have you thought of a name?" James quietly asked.

"I thought I'd give you the honour," the redhead said, reaching forward to thread her fingers through the babe's soft hair.

He grew contemplative, eyes connecting once more with the baby's clear, emerald eyes. "I think," he started. "I think—"

It was at that moment, when he remembered a letter he'd reverently kept close to his heart.

_Name him Harry_.

' _Ah,'_ he thought, hazel eyes filling once more with overwhelming tears. _'Ah, so that's what she meant.'_

"Harry," he breathed out, tears now trailing down from his eyes. "Harry James Potter."

* * *

When he felt the first ward around the Potter Cottage disintegrating, he knew they were in trouble.

Lily had started to cry, but there was this firm resoluteness in her eyes as she gripped a small Harry to her chest. "Stay here," James sternly said. "Stay here and don't make any noise."

He was about to jog down to meet Voldemort once and for all, but then he made a detour to their bedroom. When he came back to Harry's nursery, he extended the Invisibility Cloak to Lily. "If something happens to me, hide Harry underneath this."

The redhead vigorously nodded her head in understanding.

Before the soft material of the Invisibility Cloak slipped out of his fingers, he gave it a tight grip one last time.

' _I will follow you wherever you go,'_ he thought, a bittersweet smile on his face. A brief image of impossibly bushy-brown hair and bright brown eyes filled his senses. And then, with a resolute nod, he pulled his hand completely away from the Cloak and went down to meet his death.

* * *

_Fin_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I mean, I did warn you hahaha. Go reread 'Hero of the Story' if you want some happiness lol
> 
> Unfortunately, like I said before, this might be my last fic for now. I'll be starting my physical duties in the hospital this week so yeppp, no time for fanfic writing. But, thank you so much for giving me some love and support during this pandemic. I really missed writing so much and I'm glad I was able to do this again.
> 
> That's it for now!
> 
> Until next time,  
> Kimmy
> 
> P.S. Maybe we can still talk over tumblr hahaha but no promises. Follow me! (kimmy-writes)


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